[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/ID\/52\/is-the-heat-and-eat-policy-legitimate#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/ID\/52\/is-the-heat-and-eat-policy-legitimate","headline":"Is the Heat and Eat Policy Legitimate","name":"Is the Heat and Eat Policy Legitimate","description":"One of the biggest food stamps loopholes as of late is the \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d policy, which affects SNAP recipients based on rent and utilities.","datePublished":"2018-07-06","dateModified":"2018-07-30","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/author\/admin#Person","name":"admin","url":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/author\/admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e26111862ca029071a00a76fae48c51b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e26111862ca029071a00a76fae48c51b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"FoodStamps.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FS_Logo-2.png","url":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FS_Logo-2.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FS_Logo-2.png","url":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FS_Logo-2.png","width":100,"height":100},"url":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/ID\/52\/is-the-heat-and-eat-policy-legitimate","about":["Congress Attacks Foodstamps","Foodstamp Foods","Foodstamp Tactics","Foodstamps 101","News","State Foodstamp Supplement"],"wordCount":616,"keywords":["52"],"articleBody":"One of the biggest food stamps loopholes as of late is the \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d policy, which affects SNAP recipients based on rent and utilities. The recent Farm Bill that was passed addressed \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d, but critics are still speaking out about it. Here\u2019s why.Heat and EatHere\u2019s a quick rundown of how \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d works:Food stamps recipients who pay rent either pay separately for utilities or they don\u2019tThose who do get a bit of extra money called the Standard Utility AllowanceFor those whose utilities are included in rent and don\u2019t receive a SUA, they get a stipend nicknamed \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d and eligibility for discount utility and telephone ratesThe \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d policy helps SNAP recipients qualify for more food stamps benefitsSometimes, as in the state of Connecticut, the amount given under \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d is as little as $1 with the gesture meant to boost food stamps assistance in other areas. And sometimes, households get an average of about $20 each week to help out with other expenses.Criticism to Heat and EatThe biggest point made about \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d is that the program gives money to people who don\u2019t pay for utilities along with their rent. The reasoning follows that if they can keep\u00a0X\u00a0of money in their wallets each month that would normally go toward utilities, then they should be using that money towards groceries or other benefits doled out by SNAP.Another criticism of \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d is that it amounts to millions of dollars spent annually that could go elsewhere. An amount as little as $1 per household per year still adds up to a lot, and critics argue that not only can the money can be spent far more efficiently than it is, but that it also doesn\u2019t do much to motivate food stamps recipients to live financially independently.ChangesThe new Farm Bill, which the Senate is expected to vote on today, addresses the \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d provision by setting the new threshold at $10 instead of $1, which means that SNAP recipients under this figure won\u2019t get extra assistance. Along with tightening the requirements on \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d, other amendments to food stamps are expected to save about $800 million each year. But is this a good idea? Or will it do more harm than good?Final NotesAt first glance, raising the \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d plateau seems like a good idea. Nobody gets cut off from SNAP benefits if they\u2019re already receiving them, and recipients who have utilities packaged with rent are reasoned to proportionally have a similar amount of money coming out of their pockets as those who don\u2019t. However, digging beneath the surface shows that access to the extra benefits afforded by \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d are not so easy to obtain on food stamps, even with the extra money saved by not having to pay for utilities.The new \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d policy means that food stamps recipients will lose about $25 each month which, on the surface, doesn\u2019t seem like a lot. But it can often make the difference between being able to buy milk for kids and not, putting meat\u2014a source of protein\u2014on the table and not, or being forced to buy \u201cgarbage\u201d foods (processed or high in sugars and fats) and not.Only time will tell if the new \u201cHeat and Eat\u201d policy had benefited or detracted from the program overall, but immediately, it\u2019s a tough pill to swallow."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ID","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/\/ID\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"52","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/\/ID\/\/52\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Is the Heat and Eat Policy Legitimate","item":"https:\/\/foodstamps.org\/Blog\/ID\/52\/is-the-heat-and-eat-policy-legitimate#breadcrumbitem"}]}]