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Food and Nutrition Act of 2008

The main federal law that established and governs the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.

Nominal benefits loophole

A practice where some state programs provide a very small, often non-cash, benefit to a household, which can then allow that household to automatically qualify for SNAP even if their income or assets would normally be too high.

Income and resource criteria

The specific financial limits (how much money a household earns and how much property or assets they own) that determine if they are eligible for a program like SNAP.

Certification periods

The approved length of time, typically several months or a year, during which a household receives SNAP benefits before their eligibility needs to be reviewed and recertified.

Enactment

The process by which a bill officially becomes a law after successfully passing through both chambers of Congress and being signed by the President.