AEA Papers and Proceedings
ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)
SNAP Work Requirements, Administrative Burden, and Procedural Denials
AEA Papers and Proceedings
(pp. 309–313)
Abstract
Administrative burdens in public assistance create barriers to program access. Some argue that work requirements impose new paperwork and compliance costs, but this has been difficult to test empirically. One signifier of administrative burdens is procedural denials—denials due to things like missing paperwork rather than ineligibility. We examine the impact of removing work requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on denials. We leverage variation in ABAWD work requirements across time and space, using administrative data from a mountain-plains state. Our findings indicate that eliminating work requirements reduces procedural denials.Citation
Cook, Jason, Elizabeth Cox, and Chloe N. East. 2026. "SNAP Work Requirements, Administrative Burden, and Procedural Denials." AEA Papers and Proceedings 116: 309–313. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20261086Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H75 State and Local Government: Health; Education; Welfare; Public Pensions
- I18 Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
- I38 Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs