Impact Evaluation of Text Message Reminders on SNAP Enrollment

The intervention we study is operated by NTFB, which assists individuals in applying for SNAP. The intervention consists of a series of three automated text message reminders, strategically timed to encourage participants to complete their enrollment process by submitting any outstanding documentation through the Texas Health and Human Services portal. The intervention begins once a participant initiates their application through NTFB’s assistance program. Participants in the treatment group will receive text message reminders sent at 48 hours, 72 hours, and five days after their initial application assistance appointment. These messages remind participants to log into the SNAP portal and finalize their application by submitting any required documents.

The reminders are delivered via Textedly and are available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese to match participants’ language preferences. The messages aim to reduce barriers such as missed deadlines, confusion about required documents, or other administrative challenges that can prevent individuals from completing their applications. Participants in the control group will continue to receive standard assistance from NTFB, without the additional automated reminders. All other individuals not included in the study will follow NTFB’s usual intake process for SNAP assistance.

The goal of this intervention is to increase enrollment rates by providing timely, low-cost reminders that help participants overcome common administrative hurdles in the application process. By encouraging participants to complete their applications, this intervention aims to improve access to SNAP for eligible individuals who may otherwise face delays in enrollment or not enroll at all in SNAP.

2024-10-29

2025-10-28

Enrollment in SNAP.

Outcomes of SNAP enrollment will be constructed using administrative data from Texas Health and Human Services at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months following randomization to measure successful enrollment. The primary outcome will be a binary indicator capturing whether the participant completes their SNAP enrollment within each of the specified follow-up periods.

Not applicable.

No secondary outcomes will be analyzed as part of this study; the focus is solely on the primary outcome of SNAP enrollment.

Using a randomized controlled trial design, LEO and NTFB aim to answer the following research questions: (1) Do automated text message reminders increase the rate at which individuals enroll in SNAP? (2) Are there differential effects of these reminders based on demographic characteristics of the participants, such as age, household size, receipt of earning income, or previous interactions with NTFB? Study enrollment will begin in October 2024 and continue through October 2025.

Participants will be eligible for the study if they have applied for SNAP through NTFB and provided consent to receive text message reminders. Once eligibility is confirmed, participants will be randomized into either a treatment group, which will receive three automated text message reminders, or a control group, which will not receive any additional reminders beyond the standard support provided by NTFB. Randomization will occur weekly, and participants will be assigned to the treatment or control group with a 50/50 probability. The randomization will be conducted using a digital tool to ensure an equitable and consistent assignment process.

NTFB will collect participant information during the SNAP application process and send the list of randomized participants to the LEO research team. The research team will then track outcomes using administrative data from Texas Health and Human Services to measure the impact of the intervention on SNAP enrollment rates at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months following randomization.

This study aims to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of the automated reminders in increasing SNAP enrollment rates. The results of this RCT will help NTFB refine their strategies for supporting applicants and potentially expand the use of similar interventions to improve program take-up. Additionally, the findings will contribute to broader efforts to enhance SNAP enrollment across the United States, offering valuable insights for policymakers and service providers.

Not available

Computer-based randomization.

Unit of randomization: household

No

16,000 households

16,000 households

Control: 8,000 households; Treatment: 8,000 households

The study aims to enroll a total of 16,000 households over a one-year period, with 8,000 participants randomly assigned to the treatment group and 8,000 to the control group. Throughout the enrollment period, interim outcomes will be tracked to monitor the progress of the study. The primary outcome is enrollment in SNAP, and the study is powered to detect a minimum detectable effect size (MDE) of 2.09 percentage points. This corresponds to a 3.8% increase in SNAP enrollment rates from the estimated baseline enrollment rate of 55% in the control group. With this sample size and expected treatment effects, the study is well-positioned to identify even modest changes in SNAP enrollment rates attributable to the intervention. The large sample size allows for sufficient statistical power to detect significant differences in outcomes between the treatment and control groups, ensuring that the findings provide robust evidence on the effectiveness of the text message reminders.

Pre-Analysis Plan: Impact Evaluation of Text Message Reminders on SNAP Enrollment