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Resource | Policy Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA); Interpretation of “Federal Public Benefit”

This notice sets forth the interpretation that the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses for the term “Federal public benefit” as used in Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. In doing so, this notice supersedes any prior interpretation in any notice or other document issued by any USDA agency. This notice also describes and preliminarily identifies the USDA programs that provide “Federal public benefits” within the scope of PRWORA.

07/10/2025
Resource | Policy Coordination between SNAP State Agencies and FDPIR Administering Agencies

We are committed to upholding Secretary of Agriculture Rollins’ priority to take swift action to minimize instances of fraud, waste, and program abuse, and to ensure American taxpayer dollars are spent with integrity and accountability. We are issuing this memo, both in support of that priority and in response to requests from SNAP state agencies and FDPIR administering agencies, for additional guidance on preventing dual participation and ensuring comparable disqualifications are applied in SNAP and FDPIR.  

05/14/2025
Resource | Policy FDPIR - Applying the New Shelter/Utility Deduction and Calculating Net Monthly Income

This memorandum provides FDPIR administering agencies with guidance on how to apply the new shelter/utility deduction and outlines changes in the process to calculate a household’s net monthly income to account for the new shelter/utility deduction.

12/17/2024
Resource | Policy FDPIR Guidance on Changes to Household Eligibility

This memorandum provides FDPIR administering agencies with guidance on changes to household eligibility requirements.

12/17/2024
Resource | Policy Final Rule - Food Distribution Programs

This final rule revises regulations for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and USDA Foods disaster response regulations. This final rule makes improvements in USDA’s food distribution programs.

10/31/2024
Resource | Policy FD-152: Discontinuance of the High Security Seal Requirement for USDA Foods Deliveries

This general USDA Foods guidance explains that the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service will discontinue the requirement for vendors to use high security seals to secure USDA Foods deliveries as of July 1, 2023. 

04/05/2023
Resource | Guidance Documents FDPIR, TEFAP, and CSFP Income Exclusions under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

This memorandum provides information on the exclusion as income of rebates under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 in FDPIR, TEFAP, and CSFP.

04/23/2021
Resource | Guidance Documents Categorical Eligibility (Revised)

This memorandum provides clarification regarding households determined to be categorically eligible for FDPIR in accordance with provisions at sections 4300-4320 of Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Handbook 501.

12/20/2016
Resource | Policy FDPIR - Student Financial Assistance (Revised)

The purpose of this memorandum is to clarify which student financial assistance programs are excluded as income for the purposes of determining eligibility under FDPIR. 

08/26/2015
Resource | Guidance Documents Revised Policy on Certification Periods for Zero Income Households

This memorandum provides revised policy guidance on certification periods pertaining to zero income households in FDPIR. FNS Handbook 501 provides that households who report zero income month after month must be asked as to how they sustain themselves and other household members.

05/13/2014
Page updated: October 14, 2021