More than 858,000 seniors in Florida could receive benefits from the federal government’s largest food assistance program, but only 38 percent of those eligible participate, according to a report by the National Council on Aging and the Urban Institute.
Still, Florida’s participation rate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for people ages 65 and older is higher than the national rate of 30%, the report said.
The program targets low-income people and provides monthly benefits through an Electronic Benefits Transfer card. Miami-Dade, Duval, and Hillsborough counties have the highest enrollment rates. Although 50% of eligible seniors in Miami-Dade receive benefits through SNAP, 108,813 eligible individuals do not participate.
Collier, St. Johns and Charlotte counties have the lowest SNAP participation rates among the eligible senior population. More than 19,000 seniors in Collier could receive food assistance.
Nationally and in Florida, more people are participating in other programs, such as Supplemental Security Income, which provides financial assistance to seniors with little or no income, and the Medicare Savings Programs. These two programs have an enrollment rate of nearly 50% among eligible seniors in Florida.
This story first appeared on the website of the Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to covering Tallahassee state government and politics.
