The supplementary nutritional assistance program which was previously known as food stamps is tasked with providing economic benefits through electronic benefit transfer. It is a federal and state-funded program. Eligible families or persons can be able to utilize these financial handouts to pay for their shopping at their local grocery stores which ensures they have access to a healthy diet in their own households like other self-sufficient families living among them. The electronic benefits transfer (EBT) refers to a form of the electronic system that is used by the departments concerned with state welfare issues to distribute economic benefits to eligible families or persons through a magnetically encoded cash transfer card that is mostly used in all counties across the United States of America.
The Supplementary national assistance program (SNAP) requires willing applicants to make their applications in order to qualify to receive the economic benefits offered through the program. The management team who is tasked with the coordination of the SNAP program follows a number of steps towards helping various families who submit their applications requesting to be integrated into the program.
1 (a). Steps that are taken by SNAP and TANF to Help Vulnerable Families or Persons
Once the applicants for SNAP services submit their application for economic benefits, the state agency or local SNAP office within the community that the applicant is residing in receives it. After the application has been received, the relevant officers working in the office immediately process the application form. The applicants receive a notification from the office that informs them whether or not they are eligible to receive the economic benefits offered by the program.
During the eligibility check, the officer in charge confirms whether the applicant currently resides in the County of Riverside in the state of California. Applicants are also required to contact their local SNAP office or state agency directly before commencing the application process. This should be done by physically paying a visit to the SNAP office at the nearest location of the applicant or by contacting a charge-free hotline provided on the website. Vulnerable families or persons usually are expected to visit the programs pre-screening tool, through which they interact with the agency and share their background details that are required to fulfill their eligibility requirements. Through the prescreening tool, they also learn how the economic benefits are determined.
The applicant is also supposed to complete within a period of 30 days, an interview for eligibility and verify the information they provided during their application. The eligibility interview is normally carried out through a conversation between the applicant and the eligibility officer by telephone if the applicant cannot be physically available or in person. Once the applicants have been confirmed eligible, they are integrated into the program and are entitled to receive economic benefits on a monthly basis depending on the date that the applicant made submission of the application form.
Once is eligible to access the economic benefits from the SNAP program within a period of seven days after the applicant has passed the eligibility test if he or she has fulfilled the extra provisions requested by the agency. The applicant should contact the state agency or the local SNAP office to inquire if there are any additional details that are required.
Qn1b. Services provided by SNAP and TANF programs
The Supplementary Nutritional Assistance Program provides economic benefits to eligible applicants that assist them to meet healthy nutritional requirements in their daily diets. They also provide awareness programs in partnership with state agencies, advisers on nutritional issues and other stakeholders that sensitize vulnerable families or persons on how to make applications for the nutrition assistance program and on ways of receiving the benefits.
TANF programs provide financial assistance to vulnerable families or persons that cater for basic services such as housing, medical attention, utilities, and clothing. Successful applicants are eligible to receive cash aid and services to cater for their basic needs on a monthly basis.
Qn.2 The scope and mission of SNAP and TANF Programs
The state agency of the county of Riverside is currently handling between 90,000 cases and 250,000 cases in their SNAP and TANF programs.
The mission of the SNAP program is to work towards ensuring equity in the access to better nutritional products for all members of the community regardless of the financial ability of families or persons residing within the community.
The mission of the TANF program is to ensure vulnerable families, persons or minority children gain access to their basic needs in the same manner as other members of the community who are self-sufficient and to promote a sense of equality in the community.
Both programs are committed to providing support and improving the health, safety, and well-being of recipients of their services.
Part III: Summary
SNAP and TANF programs are formulated to aid the vulnerable members of the community that includes low-income generating households, poor persons, and minority children. These programs are tasked with identifying and screening these members to ensure the right people access these help services. Through these programs, the poor people in the community can have access to healthy meals as well as basic needs in the same way as the self-sufficient members. This promotes peaceful coexistence between the financially vulnerable and the self-sufficient members of the community. These sense of equality lowers the rate of crime and promotes a strong sense of belonging.
Qn.1 Can SNAP or TANF programs be categorized as either early Intervention or strength-based external assets?
These programs can be categorized as strength-based external assets community partnerships because their main focus on vulnerable members by enabling them access to resources that are already exist within the community such as healthy food diets, housing,
and basic needs.
Qn.2 What entities do SNAP and TANF programs share community partnerships with?
These programs work with state agencies, faith-based organizations as well as lifestyle educators that offer guidance to the vulnerable members of the community on how to enroll in the programs.
The members of the community that are in need of help including the needy families or persons and the minor children should be considered eligible to receive cash aid from the SNAP and TANF agency to cater to their nutritional needs through a healthy diet and also to afford the basic needs available within the community.
