FNS Documents & Resources

We received a question as to how to treat disaster relief employment income received from a National Emergency Grant.

We have been asked whether to adopt for food stamp benefit purposes the $48.17 average cost for prescription drug purchases that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) calculated. The answer is yes, with some caveats. We have prepared two new Q&As to outline how this should work.

GAO Report to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry U.S. Senate on Nutrition Education: USDA Provides Services through Multiple Programs, but Stronger Linkages among Efforts Are Needed

Questions and Answers Related to the Guidance on Medicare-approved Drug Discount Card

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 made a number of changes to the National School Lunch Act which governs the waiver process in the child nutrition programs. This memorandum identifies the changes and provides guidance to be used in developing and submitting waiver requests to the child nutrition division. 

Attached are answers to a series of questions which we have received concerning the new two-tiered reimbursement system mandated for FDCHs in the CACFP. 

Noncitizens who were receiving food stamps on Aug. 22, 1996, will not lose benefits due to their immigration status until at least April 22, 1997. If, for example, a person moves to another state or has a break in eligibility because of something unrelated to his or her noncitizen status (such as a temporary increase in earnings) and applies again before April 1, 1997, the new noncitizen eligibility requirements would not apply.

The Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act makes a significant change to implementation of the food stamp eligibility provisions for noncitizens of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.

Recently, we were asked whether state agencies are required to make public release announcements on behalf of their CACFP institutions. If the state is not required to do so, does the state have the option to publish an announcement for CACFP institutions in conjunction with other child nutrition programs, and if so, does this announcement relieve the institutions of their responsibility for releasing a public notification?

This letter describes the new statutory requirements for state agency implementation of the Food Stamp Program provisions of PL 104-193, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. We are also providing information regarding proposed and interim rules the FCS will publish and guidance relating to the Simplified Program option, FCS waiver authority, and quality control.