Food Assistance Programs

Recipient and Expert Views on Food Assistance at Four Indian Reservations Gao ID: RCED-90-152 June 18, 1990

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed food assistance programs on four Indian reservations, focusing on: (1) households that participated in the programs; (2) the programs' effects on hunger and the health of Indians on the four reservations; and (3) the availability of nutrition education.

GAO found that: (1) the Food Stamp Program and the Food Distribution on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) Program are the two largest programs serving Indians living on reservations; (2) the Food Stamp Program's administrative requirements contributed to interruptions, losses, and variances in benefits; and (3) the program allotment levels were too low to fund an adequate low-cost diet. GAO also found that: (1) FDPIR recipients at three reservations did not qualify under stringent food stamp eligibility criteria; (2) the Food Stamp Program's lengthy and complex application process and excessive verification requirements discouraged households from participating; (3) benefits were inequitably distributed among reservation households and often did not meet the needs of households with older children; and (4) expanded education services, tailored to reservation Indians, were needed on all four reservations.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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