USDA produces four food plans outlining practical, nutritious diets at successively higher cost levels: the Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans. The Thrifty Food Plan serves as the basis for maximum allotments in SNAP.
This document provides the initial study plan for the reevaluation of the Thrifty Food Plan, 2026. This initial study plan is based on information available as of April 2023. The USDA, FNS intends to publish a final study plan by early 2026.
The purpose of this study is to help FNS better understand how states are implementing the SNAP E&T case management requirement, including how they assess individuals’ needs for services and supports and provide participant reimbursements and other support services. It was also intended to identify promising practices and lessons learned that can be used to support states as they work to provide case management services aligned with their participants’ needs, available resources, and program priorities.
This study describes the wage subsidy and work-based learning models that aid in improving employment outcomes, the extent to which these models promote strong connections between government programs and employers, and the implications of previous findings on how to best implement wage subsidy and work-based learning programs within the SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) program.
Section 4022 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 authorized and funded the SNAP employment and training pilots and the evaluation. The four issue briefs present findings drawn from the evaluation of the 10 pilots.
SNAP state agencies must operate an employment and training (E&T) program for SNAP participants. States most commonly offer the supervised job search or job search training components. To better understand implementation of these components and their effects on participant outcomes, case studies were conducted in three states to examine processes and outcomes of supervised job search, job search training, and integrated job search within a vocational training component.
This study is the second in a series of reviews of effective employment and training (E&T) program components and practices. The study included a review of research focusing on SNAP E&T and other public workforce programs published from 2016 to 2020. Particular attention was given to recent changes to the SNAP E&T program, new referral and retention strategies, and promising work-based learning interventions, like apprenticeships.
SNAP E&T transforms lives of SNAP participants by connecting them to employment. It can help participants gain
the skills, training, and work experience needed to obtain and maintain regular employment. SNAP E&T includes participant assessments, case management, education and training activities, and supportive services.
The SNAP E&T pilot projects give Congress, USDA, and states the opportunity to test innovative strategies and approaches that connect low-income households to good paying jobs and thereby reduce their reliance on public assistance.