Advancing Disability Equity and Access in TANF and SNAP for People with Long COVID
By Ashley Burnside, Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Teon Dolby, Parker Gilkesson, and Lisa McCorkell
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should be available to help people with Long COVID and other disabilities to avoid hunger and hardship. And yet, disabled people consistently face barriers in accessing these programs. Further, systemic inequities in being denied benefits, or losing them, most harm disabled people of color, individuals with low incomes, and those with marginalized identities. Federal, state, and local policymakers and administrators must make focused efforts to address the challenges that disabled people face in accessing and keeping TANF and SNAP.
This report recommends concrete actions policymakers and program administrators can take to improve accessibility of public programs for people with Long COVID and other disabilities. Throughout the report, we include quotes collected during interviews with people who have Long COVID about their experiences accessing public benefit programs and health care.