The Effect of Work Requirements in SNAP in Virginia

Description

More than a dozen states have proposed or plan to implement work requirements in Medicaid, and similar requirements already exist nationally in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), yet evidence on the effects of these policies is limited. In cooperation with the state of Virginia, the investigators plan to conduct a randomized controlled trial studying the impacts of work requirements in public programs on insurance coverage, SNAP participation, employment, and health, with a particular focus on changes in racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in these outcomes. The COVID-19 epidemic and concurrent economic downturn creates additional urgency around these issues, and the investigators will use a combination of national administrative data and a new population survey to assess disparities in employment, health care, and food insecurity during this crisis.

Conditions

Health Disparities, Food Security

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

More than a dozen states have proposed or plan to implement work requirements in Medicaid, and similar requirements already exist nationally in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), yet evidence on the effects of these policies is limited. In cooperation with the state of Virginia, the investigators plan to conduct a randomized controlled trial studying the impacts of work requirements in public programs on insurance coverage, SNAP participation, employment, and health, with a particular focus on changes in racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in these outcomes. The COVID-19 epidemic and concurrent economic downturn creates additional urgency around these issues, and the investigators will use a combination of national administrative data and a new population survey to assess disparities in employment, health care, and food insecurity during this crisis.

Disparities in Medicaid and SNAP Participation: The Effects of Work Requirements and the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Effect of Work Requirements in SNAP in Virginia

Condition
Health Disparities
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Glen Allen

Virginia Department of Social Services (Home Office), Glen Allen, Virginia, United States, 23060

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Eligible for Virginia's SNAP program as an "able-bodied adult without dependents" (ABAWD) and thus subject to work requirements (this eligibility is age restricted to 18-49)
  • * Categorical exemption from work requirements for any reason (e.g., has a disability, has dependents, resides in a geographic area where work requirements have been waived due to elevated employment)

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to 49 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Collaborators and Investigators

Harvard Medical School (HMS and HSDM),

Study Record Dates

2024-12