I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3474 
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to streamline nutrition 
access for older adults and adults with disabilities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 18, 2023 
Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. CARSON, Mr. 
KHANNA, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. MCGOVERN, 
Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. MAGAZINER, Mr. NADLER, Mr. POCAN, 
Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. EVANS, Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. LOIS 
FRANKEL of Florida, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mrs. MCCLELLAN, 
and Mrs. HAYES) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to streamline 
nutrition access for older adults and adults with disabil-
ities, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Senior Hunger Preven-
tion Act of 2023’’. 
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SEC. 2. IMPROVING EFFICACY OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL NU-
TRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 
(a) CERTIFICATION PERIOD.—Section 3(f) of the 
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(f)) is 
amended in the second sentence by striking ‘‘24’’ and in-
serting ‘‘36’’. 
(b) STANDARD MEDICAL EXPENSE DEDUCTION.— 
Section 5(e)(5) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(5)) is amended— 
(1) in the paragraph heading, by striking ‘‘EX-
CESS MEDICAL’’ and inserting ‘‘MEDICAL’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘an excess 
medical’’ and all that follows through the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘a standard medical deduction 
or a medical expense deduction of actual costs for 
the allowable medical expenses incurred by the elder-
ly or disabled member, exclusive of special diets.’’; 
(3) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking ‘‘ex-
cess’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) STANDARD
MEDICAL
EXPENSE
DE-
DUCTION AMOUNT.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Except as pro-
vided in clause (ii), the standard medical 
expense deduction shall be— 
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‘‘(I) for fiscal year 2024, $155; 
and 
‘‘(II) for each subsequent fiscal 
year, equal to the applicable amount 
for the immediately preceding fiscal 
year as adjusted to reflect changes for 
the 12-month period ending the pre-
ceding June 30 in the Consumer Price 
Index for All Urban Consumers: Med-
ical Care published by the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics of the Department of 
Labor. 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—For any fiscal 
year, a State agency may establish a great-
er standard medical expense deduction 
than described in clause (i) if the greater 
deduction satisfies cost neutrality stand-
ards established by the Secretary for that 
fiscal year.’’. 
(c) VALUE
OF ALLOTMENT.—Section 8(a) of the 
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2017(a)) is 
amended in the proviso clause by striking ‘‘8 percent’’ and 
inserting ‘‘1⁄3’’. 
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SEC. 3. STREAMLINING NUTRITION ACCESS FOR OLDER 
ADULTS AND ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES. 
(a) DEFINITION OF ELDERLY AND DISABLED.—Sec-
tion 3(j)(2)(B) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2012(j)(2)(B)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(which 
includes medical assistance provided to an individual de-
scribed in section 1902(e)(14)(D)(i)(III) of the Social Se-
curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(e)(14)(D)(i)(III)))’’ after 
‘‘(42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.)’’. 
(b) 
ELDERLY
SIMPLIFIED
APPLICATION
PRO-
GRAM.—The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2011 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 31. ELDERLY SIMPLIFIED APPLICATION PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 
establish a program, to be known as the ‘elderly simplified 
application program’ (referred to in this section as 
‘ESAP’), under which a State, in carrying out the supple-
mental nutrition assistance program, may elect to imple-
ment a streamlined application and certification process 
for households in which all adult members— 
‘‘(1) are elderly or disabled members; and 
‘‘(2) have no earned income. 
‘‘(b) CERTIFICATION PERIOD.—The certification pe-
riod for participants in ESAP shall be 36 months. 
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‘‘(c) INCOME AND OTHER DATA VERIFICATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—A State agency deter-
mining the eligibility for an applicant household 
under 
ESAP 
shall, 
notwithstanding 
section 
11(e)(3)— 
‘‘(A) to the maximum extent practicable, 
use data matching for income verification and 
household size; and 
‘‘(B)(i) allow self-declaration by the appli-
cant of the information required under section 
273.2(f) of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations 
(or successor regulations); but 
‘‘(ii) verify, prior to certification of the 
household, factors of eligibility provided by the 
applicant that the State agency determines are 
questionable. 
‘‘(2) ACCOUNTABILITY
AND
FRAUD
PREVEN-
TION.—In carrying out paragraph (1), a State agen-
cy shall establish accountability and fraud protection 
measures to deter fraud and ensure the integrity of 
ESAP and the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program. 
‘‘(d) 
INTERVIEWS.—Notwithstanding 
section 
11(e)(6)(A), for recertification of a household under 
ESAP, the State agency shall not require an interview un-
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less requested by the household, which may be conducted 
virtually. 
‘‘(e) GUIDANCE.—Prior to the establishment of 
ESAP under subsection (a), the Administrator of the 
Food and Nutrition Service shall develop guidance for 
States, including by consulting with States, to carry out 
ESAP, which shall include— 
‘‘(1) general implementation guidelines; 
‘‘(2) reporting requirements; 
‘‘(3) quality control requirements; and 
‘‘(4) best practices.’’. 
(c) COMBINED APPLICATION PROGRAM.—The Food 
and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) (as 
amended by subsection (b)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 32. COMBINED APPLICATION PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary, in 
coordination with the Commissioner of Social Security, 
shall establish a program, to be known as the ‘combined 
application program’ (referred to in this section as ‘CAP’), 
under which a State, in carrying out the supplemental nu-
trition assistance program, may elect to implement a 
streamlined application process for households in which all 
adult members are applicants for or recipients of benefits 
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under title II of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 
et seq.) on the basis of a disability or supplemental secu-
rity income under title XVI of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1381 
et seq.). 
‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of CAP are— 
‘‘(1) to reduce the need for households de-
scribed in subsection (a) to have in-person interviews 
with State offices administering the supplemental 
nutrition assistance program; and 
‘‘(2) to increase participation in the supple-
mental nutrition assistance program by simplifying 
the application process for that program through in-
creased automation and simplified calculation of 
benefits. 
‘‘(c) CAP MODELS.—The Secretary, in coordination 
with the Commissioner of the Social Security Administra-
tion, shall offer, at a minimum, each of the following mod-
els for States to implement CAP: 
‘‘(1) STANDARD MODEL.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Under the standard 
model, the Commissioner of the Social Security 
Administration and the State agency admin-
istering the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program shall coordinate— 
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‘‘(i) to develop a simplified joint appli-
cation process for the supplemental nutri-
tion assistance program that uses stand-
ardized benefit amounts or standardized 
shelter expenses, in accordance with this 
paragraph; and 
‘‘(ii) to conduct outreach to adult 
members receiving supplemental security 
income under title XVI of the Social Secu-
rity Act (42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.) that are 
not receiving benefits under the supple-
mental nutrition assistance program. 
‘‘(B) 
STANDARDIZED
BENEFIT 
AMOUNTS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Under the stand-
ardized model described in subparagraph 
(A), applicants shall receive a standardized 
or automated benefit level under the sup-
plemental nutrition assistance program 
based on their shelter expenses and other 
income. 
‘‘(ii) MINIMUM
STANDARDIZED
BEN-
EFIT LEVELS.—At a minimum, there shall 
be 2 standardized benefit levels under 
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clause (i), including, as determined by the 
State— 
‘‘(I) a level for participants with 
low shelter expenses; and 
‘‘(II) a level for participants with 
high shelter expenses. 
‘‘(iii) 
COMPARABLE
AMOUNT.—A 
State shall ensure that the amount pro-
vided under a standardized benefit level 
under clause (i) is comparable to an 
amount that a participant would otherwise 
receive under the supplemental nutrition 
assistance program. 
‘‘(iv) REFERRAL.—A State shall refer 
a household described in subsection (a) to 
the supplemental nutrition assistance pro-
gram instead of enrolling that household in 
CAP if the standardized amount that the 
household would receive under CAP would 
be significantly less than the amount of 
benefits that the household would receive 
under the supplemental nutrition assist-
ance program. 
‘‘(C) 
STANDARDIZED
SHELTER
EX-
PENSES.—In computing an excess shelter ex-
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pense deduction under section 5(e)(6), a State 
agency may use a standard utility allowance in 
accordance with regulations promulgated by the 
Secretary. 
‘‘(2) MODIFIED MODEL.—Under the modified 
model, a State agency administering the supple-
mental nutrition assistance program shall— 
‘‘(A) conduct outreach to prospective par-
ticipants in the supplemental nutrition assist-
ance program using information from the Social 
Security Administration to identify households 
described in subsection (a) that are not partici-
pants in the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program; and 
‘‘(B) send to those households simplified 
application forms for the supplemental nutrition 
assistance program.’’. 
SEC. 4. ENROLLMENT AND OUTREACH PILOT PROGRAM 
FOR OLDER ADULTS, KINSHIP FAMILIES, AND 
ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES. 
The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 
et seq.) (as amended by section 3(c)) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 33. ENROLLMENT AND OUTREACH PILOT PROGRAM 
FOR OLDER ADULTS, KINSHIP FAMILIES, AND 
ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) DISABILITY.—The term ‘disability’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 3 of the Ameri-
cans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
12102). 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en-
tity’ means— 
‘‘(A) a State or local government agency; 
‘‘(B) an Indian tribe or tribal organization; 
‘‘(C) a nonprofit organization, including a 
public or nonprofit provider of services; 
‘‘(D) a community-based organization; and 
‘‘(E) an educational provider. 
‘‘(3) KINSHIP FAMILY.—The term ‘kinship fam-
ily’ means a family in which a child resides with and 
is being raised by a grandparent, another extended 
family member, or an adult with whom the child has 
a close family-like relationship, such as a godparent 
or a close family friend. 
‘‘(4) OLDER
ADULT.—The term ‘older adult’ 
has the meaning given the term ‘older individual’ in 
section 102 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 
U.S.C. 3002). 
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‘‘(5) PILOT
PROGRAM.—The term ‘pilot pro-
gram’ means the pilot program established under 
subsection (b). 
‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary 
shall establish a pilot program, to be known as the ‘Enroll-
ment and Outreach Pilot Program for Older Adults, Kin-
ship Families, and Adults with Disabilities’, under which 
the Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities— 
‘‘(1) to raise awareness among older adults, 
kinship families, and adults with disabilities of the 
availability, eligibility requirements, application pro-
cedures, and benefits of the supplemental nutrition 
assistance program; and 
‘‘(2) to support older adults, kinship families, 
and adults with disabilities in enrolling in that pro-
gram. 
‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under the pilot 
program, the Secretary shall give priority to— 
‘‘(1) eligible entities that— 
‘‘(A) provide services to older adults or 
adults with disabilities; 
‘‘(B) provide services to kinship families, 
including kinship navigator programs; 
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‘‘(C) have experience implementing pro-
grams that receive funding under the Older 
Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et 
seq.); 
‘‘(D) have experience implementing pro-
grams administered by the Food and Nutrition 
Service; or 
‘‘(E) receive, plan to receive, or dem-
onstrate an ability to partner with a program 
that receives funding under the Older Ameri-
cans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), the 
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 
U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), or nutrition programs 
administered by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(2) projects that will— 
‘‘(A) serve communities with high rates of 
food insecurity, malnutrition, or low food ac-
cess; 
‘‘(B) serve rural communities, indigenous 
communities, or communities of color; 
‘‘(C) serve members of the lesbian, gay, bi-
sexual, transgender, and queer community; 
‘‘(D) serve adults with limited English pro-
ficiency; 
‘‘(E) serve veterans; 
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‘‘(F) serve residents in federally subsidized 
housing, including federally subsidized housing 
units for older adults and adults with disabil-
ities; 
‘‘(G) serve residents living in housing serv-
ing kinship families; and 
‘‘(H) incorporate nutrition education ac-
tivities that promote healthy eating and active 
lifestyles. 
‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity re-
ceiving a grant under the pilot program shall use the grant 
to carry out 1 or more of the following activities: 
‘‘(1) Application assistance, including— 
‘‘(A) eligibility prescreening; 
‘‘(B) assistance completing an application 
for the supplemental nutrition assistance pro-
gram; 
‘‘(C) 
assistance 
obtaining 
application 
verification documents; 
‘‘(D) medical expense deduction coun-
seling; and 
‘‘(E) translation of materials and bilingual 
accommodation. 
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‘‘(2) Tailored information dissemination about 
the supplemental nutrition assistance program, in-
cluding through— 
‘‘(A) community-based outreach workshops 
and events; 
‘‘(B) a toll-free hotline to provide informa-
tion about Federal, State, and local food re-
sources; 
‘‘(C) informational websites and other so-
cial media sites; and 
‘‘(D) printed or digital informational con-
tent. 
‘‘(3) Transportation, including— 
‘‘(A) transportation to or from a local of-
fice of the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program; and 
‘‘(B) administration of vouchers or similar 
items for the transportation described in sub-
paragraph (A). 
‘‘(4) Identification, implementation, analysis, 
and dissemination of replicable and scalable models 
for increasing enrollment in the supplemental nutri-
tion assistance program among older adults, kinship 
families, and adults with disabilities. 
‘‘(e) GRANTS.— 
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‘‘(1) MAXIMUM
AMOUNT.—A grant awarded 
under the pilot program to an eligible entity for a 
fiscal year shall be not less than $50,000, but not 
more than $250,000. 
‘‘(2) DURATION.—An eligible entity may be 
awarded a grant under the pilot program for not 
more than 5 years. 
‘‘(f) EVALUATION.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of establishment of the pilot program, the Secretary 
shall conduct an evaluation of the pilot program. 
‘‘(g) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—In addition to amounts 
otherwise available, there is appropriated, out of any 
funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, 
$12,250,000, to remain available until expended, to 
carry out the pilot program, of which not more than 
$250,000 shall be used to carry out the evaluation 
under subsection (f). 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Of the amounts 
made available under paragraph (1) (excluding the 
amount made available to carry out subsection (f)), 
not more than 3 percent may be used by the Sec-
retary for administrative costs.’’. 
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SEC. 5. FOOD DELIVERY UNDER SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRI-
TION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 
The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 
et seq.) (as amended by section 4) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 34. FOOD DELIVERY. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) COVERED
RETAIL
FOOD
STORE.—The 
term ‘covered retail food store’ means a retail food 
store, a public or private nonprofit meal delivery 
service, or a public or nonprofit meal delivery pro-
vider participating in the supplemental nutrition as-
sistance program that is unable to cover the cost of 
food delivery for participants of that program. 
‘‘(2) EMPLOYEE.—The term ‘employee’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 3 of the Fair 
Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203). 
‘‘(b) PROGRAM MODIFICATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the supple-
mental nutrition assistance program, the Secretary 
shall— 
‘‘(A) notify retail food stores participating 
in the supplemental nutrition assistance pro-
gram of existing opportunities through which 
the retail food stores can deliver food to pro-
gram participants, including by— 
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