Most seniors who qualify for food benefit aren’t getting it

Summary

Marketplace Podcast Summary: "Most Seniors Who Qualify for Food Benefit Aren’t Getting It"
Release Date: October 16, 2024
Host: Kai Ryssdal

Every weekday, Marketplace delves into the intricacies of the business and economic landscape, making complex topics accessible to all listeners. In this episode titled "Most Seniors Who Qualify for Food Benefit Aren’t Getting It," host Kai Ryssdal navigates through a range of pressing issues, from rising mortgage rates to energy resilience within the military, and ultimately focuses on the barriers seniors face in accessing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

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1. Housing Market Challenges and Mortgage Rates

The episode opens with a discussion on the fluctuating housing market, highlighting that economic data for the week revolve primarily around housing. Kyle Ryssdal explains the anticipation surrounding the upcoming housing starts data from the Census Bureau and notes the recent trend of rising mortgage rates.

Key Points:

• Rising Mortgage Rates: The Mortgage Bankers Association reported an increase in the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate for the third consecutive week, leading to a decline in mortgage applications and refinancing activities.
• Economic Implications: Higher mortgage rates, while posing challenges for homebuyers, are indicative of a robust economy.

Notable Quotes:

• Gerald Cohen (Chief Economist at the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise): "The bad news about rising mortgage rates is a symptom of good news for the rest of the economy."
• Maria Letton (Florida State University College of Business): "If the economy continues to outperform expectations, [rates] will come down more slowly." (01:25)

2. Energy Resilience and Microgrids at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

Transitioning from housing, the podcast delves into the military's efforts to enhance energy resilience through microgrids. Kai Ryssdal takes listeners on a visit to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego to explore its advanced microgrid system.

Key Points:

• Microgrid Functionality: A microgrid can operate independently from the main power grid, ensuring a continuous power supply during emergencies such as natural disasters.
• Energy Sources: Miramar's microgrid leverages methane captured from a local landfill, solar energy, and diesel generators, allowing the base to sustain operations for up to 21 days without external power.
• Challenges: Developing and maintaining microgrids requires significant resources and specialized engineering talent, making widespread implementation across the Department of Defense (DoD) challenging.

Notable Quotes:

• Colonel Marty Bedell (Commanding Officer of MCAS Miramar): "A microgrid can operate the entire flight line for up to 21 days with just the diesel that we have on station."
• Colonel Bedell: "Energy resilience at its installations is just one of all the competing priorities. [Increased resiliency] doesn't mean we can't get after it." (08:08)

3. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank Monetary Policies

The episode also touches on global monetary policies, comparing actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve with those of the European Central Bank (ECB).

Key Points:

• Federal Reserve: After implementing significant rate cuts in September, the Fed is expected to proceed with cautious, incremental rate reductions to manage inflation and support economic growth.
• European Central Bank: Contrarily, the ECB is poised to cut rates for a third time in response to a sluggish economy and decreased inflation rates in the Eurozone, despite facing unique challenges such as over-reliance on Russian gas supplies.

Notable Quotes:

• Maria Letton: "Europe's economy isn't exactly sick, more like sluggish and kind of under the weather." (18:14)
• Jacob Kierkegaard (Peterson Institute for International Economics): "European farmers have become more dependent on cheap fertilizer from Russia, highlighting economic vulnerabilities." (19:33)

4. SNAP Benefits Accessibility for Seniors

The core focus of the episode centers on SNAP benefits and the significant gap between eligibility and actual participation among seniors.

Key Points:

• Eligibility vs. Participation: Approximately 42 million Americans receive federal food assistance through SNAP, with significant benefits available each October. However, a report reveals that about 70% of adults aged 65 and older who qualify for SNAP are not enrolled in the program.
• Barriers to Access:
  • Complex Application Process: Seniors often struggle with the extensive documentation and technological requirements needed to apply for SNAP.
  • Mobility and Health Issues: Physical limitations and health concerns make it difficult for many seniors to access application services.
  • Stigma: There is a prevalent sense of shame and reluctance among seniors to seek public assistance.
  • Insufficient Benefits: Even when enrolled, many seniors receive minimal benefits that are insufficient to significantly alleviate financial strain.

Notable Quotes:

• Erica DeJesus (Benefits Access Specialist, Westside Campaign Against Hunger): "Access is the biggest issue, I would say. You gotta meet people where they are." (21:13)
• Elaine Waxman (Urban Institute): "A lot of seniors have trouble accessing benefits they're eligible for." (22:43)
• Gerald Cohen: "We estimate that about 13 million older adults are eligible for SNAP in a given year, but only about 3.8 million actually participate in the program." (22:47)
• Erica DeJesus: "I've encountered a lot of customers who say, I've never applied for public benefits in my life. This is the first time I've had to do this, and there's a lot of shame attached to it." (23:42)

Real-Life Illustration: Mick Wasco narrates the experience of Erica DeJesus assisting Berquis Vera, an elderly woman navigating the SNAP application process. Vera, along with her family, relies on the modest SNAP benefits to cover essential expenses despite the high cost of living, underscoring the critical yet inadequate support provided by the program.

5. Upcoming Regulatory Changes: Click to Cancel Rule

In the closing segments, the podcast briefly mentions new regulations aimed at simplifying the cancellation of subscriptions and memberships. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved the "Click to Cancel" rule, making it easier for consumers to terminate automatic renewals without navigating cumbersome processes.

Notable Quote:

• Kyle Ryssdal: "Caveat emptor. That's all I would say." (25:48)

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Conclusion

This episode of Marketplace effectively highlights the multifaceted economic challenges facing various sectors, from housing affordability and military energy strategies to the pressing issue of food security among seniors. The in-depth exploration of SNAP benefits accessibility illuminates the systemic barriers that prevent eligible seniors from receiving necessary assistance, emphasizing the need for streamlined processes and increased support to bridge the existing gap.

Listeners gain valuable insights into how rising mortgage rates reflect broader economic health, the complexities of implementing resilient energy systems in military installations, and the differing approaches of major central banks in response to economic indicators. The episode serves as a comprehensive resource for understanding the interconnectedness of these issues and their real-world implications.

For those seeking to learn more about the struggle many seniors face in accessing SNAP benefits and the broader economic narratives shaping today's world, this Marketplace episode provides a thorough and engaging analysis.

Transcript

[Kyle Rysdal]

Monday was corporate America on this program. Yesterday was retail America. Today it's Housing America. From American Public Media, this is Marketplace in Los Angeles. I'm Kyle Rysdal. It is Wednesday today, the 16th of October. Good as always to have you along, everybody. The economic data we are being given this week is, as I alluded to, of the housing variety. Come Friday, we're going to get housing starts from the Census Bureau. September data on new residential construction is what that is. It was up in August. Best guesses are it's going to have gone the other way last month. This morning, meanwhile, the Mortgage Bankers association reported the average rate on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage in this economy increased last week for the third week in a row, which which means mortgage rates have been rising since the big Fed cut last month and they are as high now as they were a couple of months ago, which the MBA says is depressing mortgage applications and refis the whole kit and caboodle. Marketplace's Kaylee Wells spent the day figuring out what is going on.

[Gerald Cohen]

The bad news about rising mortgage rates is a symptom of good news for the rest of the economy.

[Maria Letton]

If the economy continues to outperform expectations.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Then you're likely to see rates come down more slowly.

[Gerald Cohen]

Gerald Cohen is chief economist at the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at UNC Chapel Hill. He says mortgage rates aren't just based on what interest rates are now, but the expectation of what rates will be.

[Maria Letton]

And you've seen kind of a pullback in expectations for the level of rate.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Cuts or the amount that the markets.

[Maria Letton]

Expect the Fed to cut rates.

[Gerald Cohen]

And thing is, this 6 to 7% mortgage rate might feel high, but once upon a time it was considered really good. Maria Letton at Florida State University College of Business says rates have been relatively low because of a recession and then a global pandemic.

[Kyle Rysdal]

So rates will not go to 3%.

[Mick Wasco]

Unless there's something horrible that happens and hopefully it doesn't.

[Kyle Rysdal]

So, so I think the expectation with how far are they going to go down? Needs to be adjusted.

[Gerald Cohen]

Letton says those low rates also inflated housing prices. So now that the rates are higher.

[Mick Wasco]

I think it's more likely that house.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Prices will come down.

[Mick Wasco]

So affordability should improve.

[Gerald Cohen]

That's kind of mixed bag news for home buyers, but the advice from Senior economist Ralph [e-mail] is pretty clear. If you can buy the home, buy the home.

[Kyle Rysdal]

The benefits of a motorship don't come from, you know, timing the rate market very well. It comes from staying put in that.

[Gerald Cohen]

Home McLaughlin says it's always possible to refinance when interest rates come down again.

[Kyle Rysdal]

We haven't had this many homes in the market in many, many years. So for those maybe that felt stymied not just by prices and high mortgage rates but by lack of choice, that that latter part's kind of reversed.

[Gerald Cohen]

McLaughlin says in the fall and winter there are usually more price cuts as sellers get desperate, so buyers have more negotiating power. I'm Kaylie Wells for Marketplace on Wall Street.

[Kyle Rysdal]

As the week at long last passes the halfway mark, it's been one of those traders were in a good mood. We'll have the details when we do the numbers.

[Mick Wasco]

Hi.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Hi.

[Mick Wasco]

Nice to meet you.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Nice to meet you. How's it going? I apologize about being late. I found out about this at about 8, 10 this morning, so don't worry about it. You're just gonna follow me onto base and I'll drive you. Marine Corps Air Station miramar is about 15 miles north of downtown San Diego. We're headed into a glass box of an office with a big frosted logo that reads Marine Corps Energy. So this is, this is your kingdom in here, right?

[Colonel Marty Bedell]

This was the last part of the Navy. This was like the last Navy facility.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Yeah, we should say. This used to be a naval air station.

[Colonel Marty Bedell]

Naval air station.

[Kyle Rysdal]

We've come to see Miramar's microgrid. Basically a self sufficient energy system, a backup source of power in case the power grid goes out, which feels more and more important as we wrestle with the impact of climate change. Think about storms like Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, which, which have left millions of people without power. In an emergency, a microgrid is what you want to have. It generates and distributes energy and it can work completely off the grid. So layman's terms, how does this thing work?

[Colonel Marty Bedell]

A microgrid is defined as a electrical definable boundary that can be both disconnected from, from the utility and also connected to the utility.

[Kyle Rysdal]

That's Mick Wasco. His job title is Energy Operations for Marine Corps Installations Command. And he's been working on this microgrid for more than a decade. Microgrids are mentioned a lot in the Pentagon's climate plans and more than a couple of people told us this is the DoD's most complicated and advanced version. So we have sort of a chart of the schematic of how the microgrid basically works. Right. We got a map of the base and then a map Org chart.

[Colonel Marty Bedell]

Yes, Organization. Electrically, if you will.

[Kyle Rysdal]

I will. Mick unrolls a giant map, takes up most Of a conference room table. Get me one of those soda cans, one of those teas. We hold the corners down with cans of Arizona iced tea. So what makes the Miramar microgrid special?

[Colonel Marty Bedell]

So the special thing about MCS Miramar is in our marine corps boundary. Land boundary here contains the city of San Diego landfill.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Miramar's microgrid stands out because it has access to a whole range of energy sources. The landfill on base is actually able to capture methane from the trash there and turn that into electricity for the base to use. A smaller percentage of energy comes from solar panels, and it can also pull, if needed, from a power plant on base that runs on natural gas and diesel. Important point here, the microgrid. A microgrid is not necessarily all green.

[Colonel Marty Bedell]

Not necessarily the technology and the cost is not really feasible at this point in time for us to meet our mission with 100% grain power.

[Kyle Rysdal]

But renewable resources do make this microgrid more powerful.

[Colonel Marty Bedell]

To give you perspective, with incorporation of the landfill and our solar, Our microgrid system can operate the entire flight line for up to 21 days with just the diesel that we have on station. And so that ability to run so long on so little fuel is due to our ability to leverage the renewable resources.

[Kyle Rysdal]

That's three weeks. This base could keep doing its job at full capacity with all its jets in case of crisis. They've been working on the microgrid at Miramar for 14 years and they're still not done. Mick and his team are trying to make it more renewable. They're adding lithium battery storage to help get there. The challenge is that there is no off the shelf microgrid yet, Something you can just buy and plug in. They're custom made and they need highly skilled and in very short supply engineers to maintain and operate. So Marine corps leads the way. We all know that. Catch is, the Pentagon's a big place, DOD is a big place. And there's a goal and an ambition, I'm sure, to have this kind of resiliency everywhere. Let me ask the expert, is that realistic? Mick?

[Colonel Marty Bedell]

I think that the goal for energy resilience needs to be there. I think that the feasibility is that in being a person who's done one of these projects, they are much harder than we might assume. But that doesn't mean we can't get after it.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Is it a resource thing? Pentagon has $860 billion a year to throw around. You need more of that.

[Colonel Marty Bedell]

It's definitely a resource thing. And so I think the, the balance to the leaders above Me is is all the competing priorities. And energy resilience at its installations is just one of all the alligators at the boat.

[Kyle Rysdal]

You know, so far the marine Corps has six microgrids across its 24 bases. The word you're looking for here is energy resilience, being able to keep the lights on even during a crisis to get the mission done. Resilience is a buzzword you'll hear from the Pentagon way more often than the words climate change. But they're related because while for now the Miramar microgrid has been kind of break glass in case of emergency, it's not going to stay that way for long. And this is the guy who gets to decide whether or not to break the glass.

[Tim Quinlan]

It's actually much more helpful to think about this air station as a power projection platform.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Colonel Marty Bedell is the commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and he thinks a lot about the base's role in a potential crisis, its troops and its planes.

[Tim Quinlan]

And there are lots of scenarios, be it cyber attack or earthquake. I could imagine where we would need to be prepared to respond if called upon.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Self sufficiency, basically. That's what you got to have.

[Tim Quinlan]

That's exactly right.

[Kyle Rysdal]

How many people live in this little town?

[Tim Quinlan]

We have about 12,000 Marines and sailors. We've got 548 homes. We've got 4,000 barracks rooms. So we have a lot of people, military and civilian, who live and work here.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Like Mick said, this micro grid could support this little town for 21 days all on its own. Back in the summer of 2023, San Diego had some brutal heat waves and the city asked Miramar to help out.

[Tim Quinlan]

We did relieve the grid of our burden at their request.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Right, and that's only going to start happening more.

[Tim Quinlan]

Absolutely correct. We are absolutely aware here in Southern California of climate considerations. We just had our first hurricane in a very long time, which is not normal. We have fire danger, which is something that is ever present in Southern California. All of these climate events that are increasing in frequency are things that impact everyone, including our military installations.

[Kyle Rysdal]

So I have to tell you, sir, we've been talking to a lot of people, a handful of them at your grade level. And when I say how big a challenge is climate change for you? Most of them say our mission is to get bombs on target on time. Basically, you're the first one who's actually said climate change is a huge challenge for us.

[Tim Quinlan]

It is both true that our job is to get bombs on target on time and it is short sighted to not connect barriers to being able to do that with our ability to support forces when they are forward.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Is climate change affecting the Marine Corps ability to provide for the common defense?

[Tim Quinlan]

I believe that it is, and I think that the small impacts are code collectively felt.

[Kyle Rysdal]

An hour long power outage because of a heat wave might not seem like much, but when it comes to climate change, all those small impacts are going to add up and in the end, like Colonel Bedell said, we're all going to feel it. We've been working on a podcast this year about the military, its huge climate footprint and what it's doing about that, and also what climate change means for national security, called How We Survive, and the very last episode drops today. You should listen to the whole series though. Follow Us Subscribe Rate Review on the platform of your choice, Kelly Wells was talking about the hard data we're getting this week about home construction and how mortgage rates are affecting the housing market overall. We have also gotten some softer data about how people are feeling about the economy right now and where it's headed. The Federal Reserve bank of New York surveys consumers every month about their economic expectations, and one of the questions it asks is whether people think it's getting easier or harder to get a loan. Last month people said access to credit is a lot better than it was a year ago, and they think loans are going to be even more available this time next year. But because there's always a but. As Marketplace's Justin Ho reports, that does not necessarily mean people are going out and loading up on debt.

[Ann Villamil]

It makes sense that people were more optimistic about getting loans in September than they were earlier in the year.

[Mick Wasco]

People are very pleased that the Fed is now on a downward path.

[Ann Villamil]

That's Ann Villamil, an economics professor at the University of Iowa. She says lower interest rates should help more people qualify for loans. But even though a new mortgage or car loan might be cheaper than it was a year ago, Villemill says new debt can still be kind of scary.

[Gerald Cohen]

You might be looking at some of.

[Mick Wasco]

This existing debt that you have to pay off and say, wow, I really need to get this paid down.

[Ann Villamil]

People surveyed by the New York Federal Reserve also said that the likelihood of missing a debt payment over the next few months was at its highest level in three and a half years.

[Kyle Rysdal]

And I think that makes sense in the context of a time when you're starting to see delinquency rates rise a little bit on the margin.

[Ann Villamil]

That's Tim Quinlan, senior economist at Wells Fargo. He says rising delinquency rates are likely having a chilling effect on whether people want to borrow more.

[Kyle Rysdal]

If we look specifically at revolving credit.

[Tim Quinlan]

Which is primarily comprised of credit card.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Debt that's actually declined in two out of the past three months and shown only modest growth in the first half of the year.

[Ann Villamil]

Meanwhile, lenders themselves have been keeping their credit standards tight. David Ryling is CEO of Sunrise Banks in Minnesota.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Our lens is still a little suspicious or looking for any cracks that we may feel could present some risk that we don't want to take.

[Ann Villamil]

Ryling says his bank is getting more inquiries about loans, but he's been focusing on lending to the strongest borrowers because the economy is still so uncertain.

[Kyle Rysdal]

We're still not quite confident that it is a soft landing or how quickly do rates need to go down and how does this impact employment and ultimately the cost and the quality of borrowing?

[Ann Villamil]

Reiling says he hopes that falling interest rates will make it easier for people and businesses to afford new loans, but rates just haven't fallen enough so far. I'm Justin Ho for Marketplace.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Coming up for $23 a month. You know, we're talking, what, 75 cents a day? What are you really buying with that? Probably not too much, right? First, though, let's do the numbers. Dow Industrials up 337 today 8 10%. 43,077. The Nasdaq added 51 points. 3 10%. 18,003 367. The S&P 500 gained 27 points, half a percent, ending at 58 and 42. I was just thinking about the number of sevens in all those numbers anyway. The Dutch company ASML holdings makes equipment that makes computer chips. It accidentally released its quarterly report early, including the part where reported sales for the year will be lower than expected. Oops. Blamed a weak recovery in every sector of the industry except AI. Not surprising there. ASML subtract 5 and a 10%. The Container Store Group added 12 and a 10th percent today after announcing $40 million worth of investment from beyond. As in Bed, Bath and Beyond fell half a percent. You're listening to Marketplace.

[Mick Wasco]

This Marketplace podcast is supported by Gusto. Let your employees know you've got their back by signing up for Gusto for payroll and HR. More than 300,000 small business owners use Gusto. They offer benefits like health insurance, employee onboarding, and more. Get your payroll taxes filed, deductions calculated, and your team paid fast. No more pain, just the joy of running your business. Get three months free when you go to Gusto.com Marketplace. That's Gusto.com Marketplace.

[Kyle Rysdal]

You turn to Marketplace for up to the minute news for stories that show you the connections between global events and your personal economy. And you're not alone. Marketplace is the most widely consumed business and economic news program in the country. We're proud to make fact based journalism freely accessible and Marketplace investors make it all possible. Your year end donation today will make a real difference in our nonprofit newsroom and in the lives of millions of Marketplace listeners every single day. So please contribute what you can [e-mail] donate this is Marketplace. I'm Kai Rysdal. Much as we Americans might like to think so, the Federal Reserve ain't the only central bank game in town, you know. And what a difference a continent makes. The European Central bank meets tomorrow and scuttlebutt is they are going to cut their key rates for a third time after quarter percentage point cuts in June and September. Now you will recall of course, the Fed waited and waited until mid September to start cutting, then went big with that half point cut. Since then though, inflation here has proved a bit sticky. Job growth has been strong, as you know, and consumers have been spending, so speculation is that Powell et al are going to take it slow, cut wise from here on out. Not so, though, in Europe, where inflation has cooled sharply and the economy's a bit weaker. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman has that one.

[Maria Letton]

Europe's economy isn't exactly sick, more like sluggish and kind of under the weather. Eurozone growth was just 0.2% in the second quarter and Germany contracted slightly.

[Mick Wasco]

The data is quite concerning, obviously, especially.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Coming from Germany with industrial production.

[Maria Letton]

Economist Jennifer Lee at BMO Capital Markets says the deterioration in business conditions sets the stage for lower interest rates from the European Central Bank. It helps that inflation in Europe just fell to 1.8%, significantly lower than in the U.S. in fact, the whole economic story has been different in Europe since the pandemic hit. Europe's economy was weaker than ours to begin with, says Jacob Kierkegaard at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Consumer and Business Spending wasn't boosted as much by fiscal stimulus, but then Europe had.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Something that the US Never had the external energy price shock after the invasion of Ukraine. As you know, the Russian to mess with the European gas supply.

[Maria Letton]

Energy and food prices spiked, Europeans started conserving and ramped up natural gas supplies from the Middle east and US and overall inflation fell. But it's all left economic malaise in its wake, says Sharon O'Halloran, a political economist at Trinity College, Dublin.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Prices of oil, energy and housing. The conflict Both in the Middle east and Ukraine have set a different tone for consumers than in the U.S. plus.

[Maria Letton]

Germany, the continent's powerhouse, has problems of its own, especially in the auto sector, says Jennifer Lee.

[Gerald Cohen]

They've basically failed to modernize. They're very reliant on China for all.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Those key supplies to produce more electric vehicles.

[Maria Letton]

Meanwhile, European farmers have recently become more dependent on cheap fertilizer from Russia, pointing out just how economically vulnerable Europe is to the conflicts raging around it. I'm Mitchell Hartman for Marketplace.

[Kyle Rysdal]

There are 42 million people in in this economy who get food assistance from the federal government. SNAP is the acronym Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Every October, those 42 million people get an increase in benefits to keep up with inflation. Income requirements are updated, too. This year's increase, by the way, in benefits is tiny, just a couple of bucks in most places. But it turns out that not everyone who is eligible for SNAP is on it. A report from the National Council on Aging and the Urban Institute not too long ago found that about 70% of adults 65 up who qualify are not getting it. Marketplace's Samantha Fields has that one.

[Mick Wasco]

Twice a month, Erica de Jesus spends all day in a little windowless office on the ground floor of an apartment building in upper Manhattan helping people apply for SNAP. DeJesus is a benefits access specialist with a local nonprofit, the Westside Campaign Against Hunger. This is the office of a state assembly member, and people from the neighborhood come here for help with all kinds of issues immigration, housing, health care. That's why DeJesus says it's a good place to come to reach people who might need help applying for food assistance.

[Erica DeJesus]

Access is the biggest issue, I would say. You gotta meet people where they are.

[Mick Wasco]

Today, DeJesus is helping Berquis Vera apply for SNAP. Vera has brought all sorts of documents with her utility bills, pay stubs, proof of rent payments, her family's passports and Social Security cards. Every inch of DeJesus desk is covered in papers.

[Erica DeJesus]

She brought everything. She brought everything she might think she may need.

[Mick Wasco]

DeJesus is taking photos of each document and uploading them all to the SNAP application she's created for Vera online. She's also helping Vera fill out a separate application for her mom, who's 87.

[Erica DeJesus]

She's someone who can't travel, is losing a great deal of her memory, so if her daughter wasn't advocating for her, I would find it very difficult for her to get access to these benefits.

[Mick Wasco]

A lot of seniors have trouble accessing benefits they're eligible for, says Elaine Waxman at the Urban Institute.

[Gerald Cohen]

We estimate that about 13 million older adults are eligible for SNAP in a.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Given year, but only about 3.8 million.

[Gerald Cohen]

Actually participate in the program. So that leaves a really big gap.

[Mick Wasco]

Applying for SNAP is a lot of work. Tracking down all the required documents and uploading them online or traveling to an office to get help, then calling the benefits office for a phone interview, which often requires waiting on hold for hours.

[Kyle Rysdal]

A lot of seniors have a lot of issues with technology.

[Mick Wasco]

Greg Silverman is CEO of the Westside Campaign Against Hunger.

[Kyle Rysdal]

A lot of seniors have mobility issues, you know, from just distance and the dollars to travel to health issues. And so first you have some people who can't figure out how to get the benefits.

[Mick Wasco]

And then he says, there are those who do figure it out and go through the application process only to learn they just qualify for the minimum benefit.

[Kyle Rysdal]

Doing all that for $23 a month, you know, we're talking, what, 75 cents a day? What are you really buying with that?

[Mick Wasco]

Erica DeJesus, the benefits access specialist, says she finds there's also a lot of stigma that keeps older people from applying for snap.

[Erica DeJesus]

I've encountered a lot of customers who say, I've never applied for public benefits in my life. This is the first time I've had to do this, and there's a lot of shame attached to it.

[Mick Wasco]

Add in the fact that because Social Security counts as income, many seniors only qualify for $23 a month.

[Erica DeJesus]

I do encounter a lot of people who are just like, I just don't want to deal with it. I just. I don't want to deal with it.

[Mick Wasco]

For a lot of older people, though, the biggest barrier is figuring out if they're eligible and how to apply, especially if they don't speak English or aren't able to travel far to get in person assistance. De Jesus says that's why it's so important to get out in the community and offer that help in places older people already go, like the doctor or this assembly member's office.

[Erica DeJesus]

I have a lot of customers who come here because, oh, my sister came, my mom came, my cousin came, and can you do this for our son who's. And so a lot of the access comes from word of mouth.

[Mick Wasco]

For Berquis Vera, having someone who can explain everything in Spanish and walk her through the application helps. So does the 400ish dollars a month her family gets from SNAP. Food and everything is so expensive these days, she says. And now that her mom is in her 80s, the SNAP money is especially important because she has all sorts of special dietary needs. But even with snap, all of her family's income still goes to rent, bills and food. They can't save at all. But she says SNAP does still make a big difference. I'm Samantha Fields for Marketplace.

[Kyle Rysdal]

This final note on the way out today. It has been two and a half years and who knows how many public comments and behind closed doors lobbying sessions, but as of today, it is finally going to be easier to cancel your subscriptions or gym memberships or what have you. The Federal Trade Commission voted 3 to 2 today to finalize its proposed rule on what has come to be called Click to Cancel. You know those memberships are subscriptions that renew automatically unless you do cancel and the companies then make it really hard to cancel. That is supposed to be all over now. Caveat emptor. That's all I would say. Our media production team includes Brian Allison, Jake Cherry, Justin Dueler, Drew Josdat, Gary O'Keefe, Charlton Thorpe, Juan Carlos Dorado, and Becca Weinman. Jeff Peters is the manager of media production and I'm Kyle Rysdal. We will see you tomorrow. Everybody. This is apm. You've turned to Marketplace for up to the minute news for stories that show you the connections between global events and your personal economy. And you're not alone. Marketplace is the most widely consumed business and economic news program in the country. We're proud to make fact based journalism freely accessible and Marketplace investors make it all possible. Your year end donation today will make a real difference in our nonprofit newsroom and in the lives of millions of Marketplace listeners every single day. So please contribute what you can today at marketplace. Org. Donate.