For over eight decades, America’s food stamp program – now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP – has stood as a partnership between the federal government and states, evolving through wartime rationing, economic downturns, a global pandemic, and continually changing social and political landscapes. Today, with the recently passed spending bill, commonly referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” shifting a greater share of SNAP’s financial burden to the states than ever before, we find ourselves at another pivotal crossroads.
As we consider the future of SNAP, it’s worth reflecting on how the program has grown to be what it is today – a safety net that provides food assistance for the equivalent of roughly one in every eight-to-nine individuals. One of the key lessons the history of SNAP offers is this: while policy arguably plays the most direct role in shaping safety net programs, including policies about funding, eligibility standards, and program requirements, innovations also have a remarkable way of impacting program outcomes and possibilities.
As states prepare for policy and funding changes to SNAP and the balancing work required to implement and adapt to such changes, it’s important to consider the role that innovation might play in facilitating our path forward. As such, we provide a brief history of U.S. nutrition assistance programs below, with special attention to the policies and innovations that have been the most impactful in altering the scope and capacity of these programs.
Timeline: From Depression-Era Programs to Today
1939–1943: The First Temporary U.S. Food Stamp Program
The first food stamp program in the U.S. was implemented by the federal government during the Great Depression and was intended to assist individuals and families with access to food but also to address surpluses of farmed goods and improve economic conditions for farmers. This program was largely funded by the federal government and operated by state relief agencies.
How it Worked: Individuals purchased orange food stamps, which were valued at approximately the same as their food expenditures. With this purchase, they also received blue stamps, which were valued at approximately half the orange stamps and could only be used to purchase surplus goods.
Impact: Despite ending in 1943 due to reduced demand, the first food stamp program reached approximately 20 million people in the U.S., with as many as 4 million participants at any one time.
1960s: Food Stamp Pilots and the Establishment of a Permanent Program
In the early 1960s, a series of pilot programs were conducted to assess the effectiveness of food stamp initiatives, and unlike the first program, these pilots no longer required the purchase of surplus goods. The compelling success of these pilot programs led to the enactment of a permanent federal food stamp program, signed into policy through the Food Stamp Act of 1964.
How it Worked: Individuals purchased food coupons at a price equivalent to their current food costs but received coupons with a purchasing power more closely aligned with that of a “low-cost, nutritionally adequate diet.” Coupons could be used to buy any nationally produced food or nutritional goods, with a few imported goods allowed (e.g., coffee, tea, bananas) and goods such as alcohol and tobacco prohibited.
Impact: Within a year of the Act being signed into law, participants receiving food stamp benefits reached over half a million people, and by the early 1970s, that number had reached 10 million.
1970s: Nationwide Food Stamp Program Expansion
In 1971, state food stamp eligibility rules were replaced with federal eligibility standards, and states were required to expand their food stamp programs to all jurisdictions by 1974. The Food Stamp Act of 1977 further expanded programs by scaling up nutrition education initiatives and enacting one of the most significant changes in food stamp history – the removal of the purchase requirement.
How it Worked: The 1977 Act allowed individuals and families to apply for and receive benefits based solely on eligibility rather than requiring any purchase of stamps or coupons.
Impact: While the purchase requirement wasn’t functionally gone until 1979, its removal led to significant program expansion. The first month following removal, participation rose by 1.5 million recipients, and by 1981, participation had more than doubled from the start of the 70s, reaching 22.4 million people. Additionally, a key question took focus in policy discussions during this period: “How to balance program access with program accountability?”
1980s and 1990s: Policy Adjustments and EBT Innovation
The early 1980s saw several budget cuts to food stamp programs, as well as new requirements that narrowed the eligible population, such as a gross income eligibility test and job search requirements. However, as hunger became a national concern in the mid-to-late 80s, several changes were made that in turn increased access to food programs, such as higher resource limits, improved eligibility for unhoused individuals, and increased nutrition education grants. An important innovation also transformed safety-net programs during this time – the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system.
How it Worked: In the mid-to-late 80s, several EBT pilot programs were conducted, and in 1996, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) – also known as the Welfare Reform Act – mandated that all states implement the EBT system by October 2002.
Impact: The switch to EBT helped reduce program stigma, made fraud more difficult, and simplified and streamlined several agency processes. A recent study also revealed that the switch “increased enrollment by roughly 12%.” The PRWORA also expanded opportunities for states to implement innovations beyond EBT by requesting waivers that would allow them to bypass certain federal rules.
2000–2013: Program Naming, Streamlining, Expansion, and Modernization
In another effort to reduce stigma, the 2008 Farm Bill renamed the food stamp program the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and while states maintained the ability to choose their own name, they were encouraged to switch to SNAP. Several other bills and initiatives took place during this time that further streamlined, expanded, and modernized the program.
How it Worked: The 2002 Farm Bill, 2008 Farm Bill, and 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act implemented several important changes:
- Streamlining: The process for reporting household changes was simplified, and the requirement that monthly benefits be provided in a lump sum was established (barring the need for corrections).
- Expansion: Eligibility for many legal immigrants was restored during this time, benefit levels increased, and pilot programs were established for improved nutrition and healthy purchase education.
- Modernization: The transition to EBT was completed during this time, paper coupons were eliminated, and the option of telephonic voice signatures was approved for states.
Impact: As a result of these efforts, agencies were able to reach and serve more individuals than ever before. In 2013, SNAP participation reached a record high of 47.6 million people.
2014–2025: Continued Expansion, Modernization, and COVID-Era Response
Following 2013, SNAP enrollments temporarily declined as the economy improved, but program modernization, innovation, and improvement efforts didn’t stop. And in 2021, the administration increased SNAP benefits by upwards of 25% to offset some of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic – the largest benefits increase in U.S. food stamp history.
How it Worked: In addition to the COVID-19 benefits increase, the 2014 Farm Bill, 2018 Farm Bill, and subsequent policy adjustments implemented several key changes:
- Expansion: The use of state waivers was expanded, increasing state agency and opportunities for innovation. The definition of a benefits retailer was also expanded to allow for the home delivery of SNAP goods, and grants were allocated for initiatives that incentivize the purchase of fruits and vegetables or help SNAP participants gain or improve employment and income status. Additionally, in 2024, the eligibility age for able-bodied adults without dependents was expanded to persons aged 54 or older.
- Modernization: Pilots were established for mobile access to SNAP benefits, making it easier for recipients to manage and get information about their benefits. Manual vouchers were also eliminated during this time.
Impact: These changes have been impactful in several ways. A recent study revealed that the 2021 benefit expansion led to a decrease in food insufficiency, anxiety, and difficulty purchasing other household necessities for SNAP recipients. Importantly, with increased access to waivers and pilot resources during this time, states were also able to achieve substantial improvements in program outcomes by leveraging process and system innovations. For example, states that our teams have worked with on program innovations with have achieved near-perfect SNAP timeliness (99%), consistently high SNAP accuracy rates, and reduced or completely eliminated their SNAP backlogs.
Looking to the Future: Upcoming Changes Confirmed for SNAP Funding
While the federal government has been the primary funding source for nutrition assistance benefits since the country’s earliest Food Stamp program, sharing expenses with states only in terms of administrative costs, the spending bill recently signed into law changes that in considerable ways. By 2027, states will be responsible for funding a larger amount (three-fourths) of SNAP administrative costs, and beginning in the 2028 fiscal year, some states will be required to fund a portion of their SNAP benefits for the very first time – marking another important moment in SNAP history. Interestingly, however, this funding change is closely tied to state SNAP payment accuracy.
The Bill states that, starting in fiscal year 2028, the federal government will fully fund SNAP benefits only for states with payment error rates lower than 6%, and states with error rates greater than 6% will be responsible for funding between 5% and 15% of their SNAP benefits. This stands to impact most of the country, as last year, only seven states had error rates lower than 6%, and the national error average was at 11%. With this bill, the pressure on state agencies to maintain high accuracy increases substantially.
The Bill includes other impactful provisions, such as expanding work requirements to include adults age 55–64 and adults with dependents over age 14 and removing work exemptions for unhoused individuals, veterans, and young adults transitioning out of foster care. With all the changes enacted by this bill, the Congressional Budget Office has projected that it will reduce federal SNAP spending by $186 billion over the next ten years. So far, this is relatively uncharted territory for food assistance in the U.S.
Inspiration from the Past: Balancing Access, Accountability, and Capacity
With SNAP funding becoming more dependent on program accuracy in future years and such a substantial decrease in federal SNAP spending projected, the question about balancing SNAP access and accountability is more relevant now than ever. States need solutions capable of helping them balance their SNAP access and accountability goals despite a continually changing program landscape – but also capable of helping them increase their program capacity in the context of limited and potentially unstable resource availability. Technical and process innovations have done this before, and we believe they can do it again.
The adoption of EBT is a compelling example of this. EBT leverages technology and process innovation to enhance benefit access, transparency, and accountability, all while freeing up staff capacity for other important program tasks and empowering agencies to do more with the resources they currently have.
With such big changes confirmed for SNAP funding on the horizon, it’s worth asking: What will be the next major technological or process innovation to transform the landscape for states administering SNAP, and how will it enhance accuracy, improve access, or unlock agency capacity? Is it already here? How will we know? And how can states be ready for it?
At Vimo, our teams are always developing and improving innovative solutions for health and human services agencies, including process and technology solutions tailor-made for SNAP agencies and outcomes. Even better: all our solutions are built to help agencies achieve not only increased access and accountability but also increased capacity. As we navigate the future of SNAP, we look forward to sharing our solutions with you, hearing your ideas, and working to improve access, accountability, and capacity, together – no matter what comes next.
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