Comment Request: SNAP Reporting of Lottery and Gambling, and Resource Verification

Summary

In accordance with Section 4009 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, households in which members receive substantial lottery and gambling winnings are ineligible for SNAP until they meet allowable financial resources and income eligibility requirements. Substantial winnings are defined as winnings that are equal to or greater than the resource limit for elderly or disabled households as defined in 7 CFR 273.8(b). States are also required to work cooperatively with entities responsible for gaming in their state to identify individuals and households with substantial winnings. SNAP households must report substantial winnings to state SNAP agencies. These requirements at 7 CFR 273.11(r) were implemented in 2019 through final rulemaking titled “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Student Eligibility, Convicted Felons, Lottery and Gambling, and State Verification Provisions of the Agricultural Act of 2014”, published on April 15, 2019 (84 FR 15083, RIN 0584-AE41). A technical correction to the 60-Day Notice associated with this rulemaking was published on June 21, 2019 (84 FR 29029, RIN 0584-AE41).

Per Section 5(g) of the Food and Nutrition Act, all applicant households must meet the SNAP resource limits unless they are considered categorically eligible (Section 5(j) of the Food and Nutrition Act) for SNAP benefits. State eligibility workers must evaluate the resources available to each household to determine whether these households meet the SNAP resource limits as defined by 7 CFR 273.8(b). Resources are one of several criteria that SNAP state agencies use to determine SNAP eligibility and states may elect to mandate verification of resources (7 CFR 273.2(f)(3)). All states must verify any resource information that appears to be questionable, in accordance with 7 CFR 273.2(f)(2)(i).