The Effect of Work Requirements in SNAP in Virginia
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-49
SponsorHarvard Medical School (HMS and HSDM)
About this trial
More than a dozen states have proposed or plan to implement work requirements in Medicaid, and similar requirements already exist nationally in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), yet evidence on the effects of these policies is limited. In cooperation with the state of Virginia, the investigators plan to conduct a randomized controlled trial studying the impacts of work requirements in public programs on insurance coverage, SNAP participation, employment, and health, with a particular focus on changes in racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in these outcomes. The COVID-19 epidemic and concurrent economic downturn creates additional urgency around these issues, and the investigators will use a combination of national administrative data and a new population survey to assess disparities in employment, health care, and food insecurity during this crisis.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Eligible for Virginia's SNAP program as an "able-bodied adult without dependents" (ABAWD) and thus subject to work requirements (this eligibility is age restricted to 18-49)
Disqualifiers
Categorical exemption from work requirements for any reason (e.g., has a disability, has dependents, resides in a geographic area where work requirements have been waived due to elevated employment)
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Work requirement exemption months
Treatment groups
12,500 Participants
are divided into 5 treatment groupsSponsors and collaborators
Harvard Medical School (HMS and HSDM)
Lead sponsor
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
Collaborator
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov