This memorandum provides the fiscal year 2018 Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) to the SNAP maximum allotments, income eligibility standards, and deductions. Under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 COLAs are effective as of Oct. 1, 2017.

The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, limits the amount of resources that a household may have and still receive SNAP benefits. Resources can include, but are not limited to, cash and funds in checking or savings accounts.

The memorandum that follows is intended to update earlier guidance provided to state agencies on the treatment of gift cards in determining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility and benefits.

The memorandum that follows is intended to update earlier guidance provided to state agencies on the treatment of retirement accounts in determining SNAP eligibility.

FSP legislative and regulatory provisions do not, either directly or indirectly, address the treatment of gift cards for program purposes. While these rules can potentially be interpreted to count gift cards as a resource, we believe this would be inadvisable since attempts to verify the existence and value of the cards during the certification process would be extremely difficult, problematic and subject to error.

This rule finalizes a proposed rule published Feb. 29, 2000, amending Food Stamp Program regulations to implement several provisions of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, and subsequent amendments to these provisions made by the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1996, the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, and the Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998.

This rule finalizes a proposed rule published July 12, 1999, by amending the Food Stamp Program Regulations to implement certain non-discretionary provisions of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 that affect the Food Stamp Program.

The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act 2001 increases the maximum excess shelter expense deduction and allows sates to substitute their TANF vehicle rules for the food stamp vehicle rules where doing so would result in a lower attribution of resources to food stamp households.

This action proposes options related to matching activities, fair hearing and recipient services. This action proposes provisions which would increase state agency flexibility in processing applications for the program and allow greater use of standard amounts for determining deductions and self-employment expenses.

The purpose of this memorandum is to advise you of our decision to offer state agencies the opportunity to participate in a demonstration project to exclude the income of temporary census employees.