Right now, older adults and people with disabilities on SNAP (food stamps) have to recertify every 24 months and navigate a system that wasn't built for them. This bill stretches the recertification period to 36 months, creates a $155 standard medical expense deduction (rising with medical inflation), and raises the minimum monthly benefit from 8% to one-third of the maximum allotment. It also sets up streamlined application tracks for seniors and SSI/SSDI recipients, funds $500 million a year so grocery stores can deliver food free to homebound participants, and puts $12.25 million into community outreach grants. The bill expands the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program through 2031, raising individual farmers'-market benefits to between $35 and $80 and adding adults with disabilities as eligible recipients.
Average Household Impact
- SNAP minimum allotment — Raised from 8% to one-third of the maximum allotment for elderly and disabled households
- SNAP certification period — Extended from 24 to 36 months for elderly and disabled households
- Standard medical expense deduction — Set at $155 for FY2027 with annual medical-CPI adjustment
- SNAP grocery delivery — $500M per year authorized to reimburse free home delivery for older and disabled participants
- Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program funding — Raised to $60M in FY2027, scaling to $100M annually through FY2031
- Commodity Supplemental Food Program eligibility — Extended through FY2031 and expanded to low-income adults with disabilities
Transparency & Accountability
- Reporting requirements — Annual report to Congress required on food-delivery participation, reimbursements, and state administration
- State plan disclosure — State food-delivery plans and federal determinations must be posted publicly on USDA's website
- Program evaluation — Two-year evaluations required for the outreach pilot and the local procurement pilot
Congressional Summary
Senior Hunger Prevention Act of 2026This bill expands and modifies nutrition programs for older adults and adults with disabilities, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).Under the bill, a household's eligibility for SNAP benefits may be certified for 36 months if all adult household members are elderly or disabled, an increase from 24 months. The bill also expands the SNAP medical expense deduction and increases the minimum allotment for households with one and two persons.The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish an elderly simplified application program that allows a state to implement a streamlined SNAP application and certification process for households where all adult household members are elderly or disabled and have no earned income.The bill also directs USDA to authorize public-private partnerships between USDA, retail food stores participating in SNAP, and community-based organizations to provide free or low-cost food delivery under SNAP, including through the use of private funds.Further, the bill reauthorizes CSFP, provides additional funding for the program, and expands eligibility to include low-income adults with disabilities. CSFP benefits may also be certified for 36 months. Currently, benefits may be certified for not less than one year, but not more than three years.The bill also expands eligibility for the Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) to include adults with disabilities, provide a 36-month certification period, and include minimum and maximum benefit amounts.Under the bill, USDA must also establish various related grant programs.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-04-14
- Date Added
- 2026-04-30
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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