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Which states expanded SNAP categorical eligibility using BBCE after 2020 and what year did each change occur?
Executive summary
Available sources do not provide a single, definitive list of which states adopted BBCE after 2020 with exact adoption years; however, multiple state-level announcements and compilations document some post‑2020 changes — for example, Pennsylvania expanded BBCE effective October 1, 2022 [1], New Hampshire increased its expanded categorical eligibility to 200% FPL effective January 1, 2023 [2], and Virginia applied BBCE rules effective July 2021 [3]. The USDA/FNS maintains a BBCE chart and policy pages used as primary reference points but the SNAP Policy Database and FNS materials note that BBCE adoption is dynamic and states may change income or asset thresholds over time [4] [5].
1. What BBCE is and why timing matters: a policy primer
Broad‑based categorical eligibility (BBCE) lets states confer SNAP categorical eligibility based on receipt of certain TANF or state MOE non‑cash benefits, and gives states discretion to raise gross income thresholds (up to commonly used 200% of the federal poverty level) and to relax or eliminate asset tests [6] [7]. Because states can implement these operational changes at different times and sometimes change thresholds mid‑year, authoritative databases track effective dates — but implementation timing can vary between legal change, system updates, and when applicants actually receive the new rules, complicating a simple “who changed after 2020” answer [4] [8].
2. Official federal trackers: USDA/FNS and the SNAP Policy Database
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) posts a BBCE chart and explanatory pages that indicate which states “implement BBCE” and list gross income and asset limits; that chart is the standard federal reference for whether a state uses BBCE, but it’s maintained as states change policy [5] [7]. The Economic Research Service’s SNAP Policy Database similarly documents state BBCE adoptions and notes that 41 states were using BBCE by September 2020, and that adoption continued earlier in the 2000s [4]. These federal and ERS resources are the primary sources reporters and researchers cite when compiling adoption timelines [4] [5].
3. Explicit, state‑level changes reported after 2020 (examples found in the sources)
- Pennsylvania announced an expansion of BBCE effective October 1, 2022; the state projected more than 174,000 households would become newly eligible under the change [1].
- New Hampshire’s administrative release indicates a policy change effective January 1, 2023, removing the prior child‑dependency criterion and increasing the expanded categorical eligibility gross income limit from 185% to 200% of the FPL [2].
- Virginia’s materials report BBCE effective July 2021 for households receiving TANF/MOE funded benefits [3]. These are concrete, dated examples in the available reporting [1] [2] [3].
4. Why you won’t find a neat “post‑2020 list” in one place
Sources repeatedly caution that BBCE status is state‑specific and changes over time; FNS’s materials and the ERS database emphasize that states adjust BBCE parameters (income and asset rules) and that “implementation dates may vary” and sometimes policies are implemented mid‑year [4] [9] [8]. Several advocacy, research, and policy organizations cite the federal chart but produce differing state counts depending on their snapshot date — so any list of “states that expanded BBCE after 2020 and the year each changed” depends on the cut‑off date and the particular BBCE element (income threshold increase vs. asset‑test elimination) one chooses [5] [4].
5. Competing perspectives and political context
Advocacy groups such as the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and FRAC portray BBCE as a tool that expands access and reduces administrative burdens; federal FNS communications encourage states to use expanded categorical eligibility to improve access [10] [7] [11]. Conversely, conservative think tanks and some House Republican materials characterize BBCE as an eligibility “loophole” that should be narrowed or ended [12] [13]. The Trump Administration proposed regulatory limits in 2019 and those proposed changes were withdrawn by the Biden Administration in 2021 — illustrating that federal rulemaking can influence how states use BBCE [14].
6. How to build a definitive, up‑to‑date list
To assemble a reliable post‑2020 adoption list, consult [15] the USDA/FNS BBCE state chart and its Questions & Answers page, [16] the ERS SNAP Policy Database snapshots for each year since 2020, and [17] state DHS/DHHS releases or SNAP policy handbooks for precise effective dates [5] [4] [8]. The sources above supply specific dated examples (Pennsylvania 2022, New Hampshire 2023, Virginia 2021) but available sources do not mention a complete, single compiled list of all states that expanded BBCE after 2020 with exact years for each change [1] [2] [3] [4].
If you want, I can: (A) pull the FNS BBCE state chart and extract all states whose documented effective date is after 2020 (using only the sources you provide), or (B) prepare a state‑by‑state checklist showing whether each state’s BBCE status changed in 2021–2025 using FNS/ERS/state press releases as citations. Which would you prefer?