FNS Documents & Resources

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.

President Trump made a commitment to the American people to cut wasteful spending, Make America Healthy Again, and to combat fraud, waste, and abuse—restoring common sense to government. Under the leadership of Secretary Rollins, USDA’s FNS has taken swift and decisive action to be representative of the change the American people voted for.

This collection is for providing SNAP households advance or concurrent notice of state agency action to store unused SNAP benefits offline due to three or more months of account inactivity and for those households to seek reinstatement of benefits prior to permanent expungement. Additionally, this collection is for providing SNAP households advance or concurrent notice prior to the state agency expunging unused SNAP benefits from the household's Electronic Benefit Transfer account due to nine months of account inactivity.

SNAP benefits that are stolen on or after Dec. 21, 2024, are not eligible for replacement using federal funds. SNAP state agencies can choose to replace stolen benefits using state funds. There is no guarantee that state-funded replacements would be retroactively reimbursed with federal funds. 

The Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have news to share! SSA recently made changes to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, making it stronger and simpler for more than a quarter of a million older adults and people with disabilities. These changes could potentially increase SSI payments and allow more people to become eligible for the program.

This final rule amends SNAP regulations for calculating standard utility allowances (SUAs) and expands allowable shelter expenses to include basic internet costs. The rule also finalizes updates to the treatment of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program payments. 

FNS recently released a new report on SNAP household characteristics for fiscal year (FY) 2022.

This guide informs small entities participating in child nutrition programs about the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and how to comply with it. This guide does not include any new requirements; it just summarizes existing guidance related to the final rule.