- In fiscal year 2015, 337,000 low-income non-elderly people with disabilities participated in SNAP. Their average monthly household income was about $1,000.
- SNAP helps people with disabilities buy food. SNAP households with non-elderly members with disabilities received an average monthly benefit of $210, boosting their monthly income by 20%.
- SNAP puts money into Pennsylvania’s economy. In 2015, SNAP provided individuals with disabilities in Pennsylvania with $676 million that was pumped into the state economy when participants purchased food.
Source: CBPP tabulations of FY 2015 USDA SNAP Household Characteristics Data
The vast majority of SNAP recipients live in households with a child, senior citizen, or a person with disability.
Source: USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, "Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Households, Fiscal Year 2015"
Beyond providing critical dollars to put food on the table, SNAP also helps those with disabilities and other members of their family by:
- Connecting them to other benefit programs such as the Low-Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Medicaid, cash assistance (TANF), and WIC.
- Providing dollars to offset the significant cost of their medical expenses. Among households with members with disabilities that claimed the deduction, their average monthly medical expenses were $155. SNAP's benefit calculation targets those households and provides them with additional benefits.
The information found on this page was created jointly with Community Legal Services. Click here for a printable PDF of this information.
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