Louisiana Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides monthly benefits that help low-income households buy the food they need for good health. The goal of the program is to promote the general welfare and to safeguard the health and well being of the population through the issuance of benefits to all eligible households. For most households, SNAP benefits account for only a portion of their food budgets; they must also use their own funds to buy food sufficient to last throughout the month.

Social Services analysts in the parish offices are responsible for the determination of eligibility and the certification of eligible households for SNAP. Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) performs the issuance of SNAP benefits to eligible households. The employment and training activities, known as the Louisiana Job Employment Training (LaJET) Program, are accomplished through the cooperative efforts of SNAP, the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) parish offices, local governing authorities in the state and the Louisiana Workforce Commission. The LaJET Program, in parishes where available, is a participant-centered effort to provide employment services to selected SNAP recipients.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service bases the amount of SNAP benefits that a household is eligible to receive on the Thrifty Food Plan amounts that are established. They are current estimates of the actual costs for providing a household with nutritious but inexpensive meals. These are the maximum amounts that a household with zero net monthly income can receive in SNAP benefits each month. If a household meets all eligibility requirements, the amount of their SNAP benefits is dependent on both the number of persons in the household and the net monthly income amount remaining after all allowable deductions have been subtracted.