Removing Barriers to Program Enrollment: Experimental Evidence from SNAP

Last registered on January 14, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Removing Barriers to Program Enrollment: Experimental Evidence from SNAP
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0009728
Initial registration date
July 14, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
July 21, 2022, 11:22 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
January 14, 2024, 2:32 PM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region
Los Angeles County

Primary Investigator

Name
Jason Somerville
Affiliation
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Tatiana Homonoff
PI Affiliation
Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, New York University and NBER
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2020-10-06
End date
2021-05-14
Keywords
Behavior, Welfare
Additional Keywords
Administrative Burden, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
JEL code(s)
C(3, H51, H75, I18, I38
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Many safety net program applications result in procedural denials due to the administrative burden associated with applying. We study the effect of an alternative application process for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) designed to alleviate barriers to program access associated with the intake interview. Using a field experiment involving over 60,000 applicants in Los Angeles County, we find that access to on-demand interviews significantly increases long-term participation rates and expedites the time to approval. Our findings highlight the importance of incorporating flexibility into the design of program integrity policies to minimize procedural denials.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Homonoff, Tatiana and Jason Somerville. 2024. "Removing Barriers to Program Enrollment: Experimental Evidence from SNAP." AEA RCT Registry. January 14. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.9728-1.1
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Our intervention provides access to flexible, on-demand interviews during SNAP enrollment.
Intervention Start Date
2020-10-06
Intervention End Date
2021-05-14

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Time to case determination, Initial application approval (overall and by week), Reapplications and longer-term SNAP participation.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Benefit amount
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Applicants assigned to the treatment group receive a communication from GetCalFresh via text or email providing them with information on how to contact the E2E line to complete their interview. Applicants can call this number at their convenience and connect directly to a caseworker to complete their interview. Control group members receive the standard communications from GetCalFresh informing them that the county would be in touch with them to complete an interview. Applicants in both experimental groups also receive reminder messages on the following business day. The county assign all applicants an interview through the standard processes regardless of their treatment status. Random assignment is conducted over a six-month period between October 2020 to May 2021 and is rolled out in stages to the county's 31 offices.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
We assign 75 percent of our sample to the treatment and 25 percent to the control using a random number generate.
Randomization Unit
CalFresh Application
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
65,000 applications
Sample size: planned number of observations
65,000
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
48,750 treatment; 16,250 control.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
1.27 percentage point
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
May 14, 2021, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Yes
Program Files URL
http://doi.org/10.3886/E194727V1
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Abstract
Many government program applications result in procedural denials due to administrative burdens associated with applying. We identify the intake interview as a key barrier to take-up of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and study the effect of an alternative application process designed to reduce burdens. Using a field experiment involving 65,000 Los Angeles applicants, we find that access to flexible interviews initiated by the applicant increases approvals by six percentage points, doubles early approvals, and increases long-term participation by over two percentage points. Our findings highlight the importance of incorporating flexibility when designing program integrity policies to minimize procedural denials.
Citation
Gianella, E., Homonoff, T., Rino, G., and Somerville, J. (2024). Administrative Burden and Procedural Denials: Experimental Evidence from SNAP. Accepted at American Economic Journal: Economic Policy.
URL
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9nv8rllo0cnzim8/Giannella%2C%20Homonoff%2C%20Rino%2C%20and%20Somerville%20%282023%29.pdf?dl=0

Reports & Other Materials