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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Income support and assistance

Welfare and Family Self-Sufficiency Learning Agenda
Provides background and information on the development of the Welfare and Family Self Sufficiency Learning Agenda (WFSSLA) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Focuses on the structure of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), capacity building, and strategies for improving programs. Includes discussion on administering human services programs in rural contexts.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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Summer Food for Children: An Overview of Federal Aid
Provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Highlights changes to the SFSP made in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, including the permanent authorization of the nationwide Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) Program for Children, and allowing Seamless Summer Option (SSO) sponsors to provide meals for off-site consumption to children in rural areas without access to congregate meal sites.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Informal and Formal Financial Assistance to Rural Women During Cancer Treatment
Interviews 36 rural women with cancer to explore their methods for handling financial hardship stemming from the costs of cancer. Discusses both informal assistance from the patients' support systems and formal assistance from healthcare systems and organizations. Highlights areas for potential financial disparities within existing inequalities.
Author(s): Emily Hallgren, Tess Thompson, Ramey Moore, et al.
Citation: SSM - Qualitative Research in Health
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
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Health Care's Role in Rural Economic Development: How Work Support Programs Improve Health and Stimulate Rural Economies
Policy brief exploring how work support programs – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and Child Care and Development Funds (CCDF) – and other state and federal programs can address social determinants of health, improve health, and stimulate economic activity in rural America. Offers policy recommendations to increase access to these programs in rural areas.
Author(s): David Jordan
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Exploring Remaining Needs and Opportunities for Improvement in Rural Communities: A Focus on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Programs
Provides an overview of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Presents findings from interviews with TANF program staff and partner organizations regarding delivering TANF services in rural communities. Identifies rural areas with remaining need for TANF cash assistance and Tribal TANF services. Offers providers' lessons learned and recommendations to help inform policy and service delivery moving forward.
Author(s): Emma Ward, Neel Chakraborti, Emily Brimsek, James Murdoch, Heather Hahn
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: 2M Research, Administration for Children and Families, Urban Institute
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Services and Supports for Longer-Term Impacts of COVID-19
Identifies federal services and supports to address the longer-term effects of COVID-19, including Long COVID and related conditions, mental health and substance use challenges, and bereavement. Includes healthcare facilities and a wide range of services that can help meet these needs in rural and tribal communities.
Date: 08/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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ARPA's Enhanced Premium Subsidies Provide Particularly Large Benefits to Residents of Rural Areas
Compares the differences between average Marketplace benchmark monthly premiums in urban and rural areas in each state in 2022. Discusses the impact of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) expanded premium subsidies in rural areas.
Author(s): John Holahan, Erik Wengle, Claire O'Brien
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Best Practices in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training (E&T) Programs: 2016–2020 Final Report
A literature review of 105 research studies and papers from 2016-2020 related to employment and training programs for low-income individuals, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Employment and Training (E&T). Includes information about program changes, referral and retention strategies, work-based interventions, and more. Includes discussions about rural contexts throughout.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Anne Paprocki, Melissa Mack, Mahika Rangnekar
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Social Policy Research, USDA Food and Nutrition Service
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Findings from the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) 2019–2020: A Demographic and Employment Profile of United States Farmworkers
Reports on demographic and employment characteristics of hired agricultural workers in the United States. Includes data on health insurance and healthcare access, as well as information on social determinants of health such as income, education level, language skills, and housing. Based on data collected from face-to-face interviews with 2,586 crop farmworkers conducted between October 1, 2018, and September 30, 2020.
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Labor
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COVID-19: Significant Improvements Are Needed for Overseeing Relief Funds and Leading Responses to Public Health Emergencies
Discusses the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Provides an overview of federal actions on healthcare and economic policy areas through early January 2022, including data on COVID-19 relief spending and vaccinations. Offers 5 new recommendations to federal agencies regarding emergency rental assistance, nutrition assistance, and tax relief for businesses. Also designates the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) leadership and coordination of a range of public health emergencies as high risk to ensure sustained executive branch and congressional attention so the nation is prepared for future emergencies.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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