Parents reported that the monthly Child Tax Credit (CTC) advance payments have reduced financial stress, helped them to afford necessities and, for about one-quarter of respondents receiving monthly payments, work more hours outside of the home, according to a new national survey.
Public benefit programs such as Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and refundable tax credits like the Child Tax Credit provide critical supports to help people meet their basic needs, but too often, individuals and families are…
The U.S. core benefit programs are operated with substantial federal funding and oversight, but with extensive variation at the local level. As a result, there is a significant difference in the experience of a low-income person seeking assistance depending on where they live.
This paper describes how Pennsylvania advocates tackled one manifestation of this problem: a very low rate of automated Medicaid renewals. Advocates can use the strategies we found effective to lift barriers facing people enrolled in other public programs. This brief was written as part of…
To ensure SNAP meaningfully served older adults across Massachusetts, advocates focused on building strong relationships with a new state administration and reinforcing mutually beneficial SNAP policies. This brief was written as part of the Advancing Strategies to Align Programs (ASAP) project, which worked with state…
An overview of work NM Center on Law and Poverty and partners did or are advancing in New Mexico to support equitable access to food and medical assistance for people who are immigrants. This brief was written as part of the Advancing Strategies to Align Programs…
Three new policy briefs written by our partners in New Mexico, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania can help state advocates across the country better understand the leverage points for improving the administration of Medicaid and SNAP.
This document by Lauren Walizer discusses a range of policy and practice options that states can undertake to increase college student access to public benefits.
This brief by Lauren Walizer discusses what CLASP has learned from working with states to enact such changes and develop a comprehensive and collaborative strategy to dedicate themselves to this work long-term.