Senior Hunger Prevention Act of 2026

Key Points

• The bill extends SNAP certification periods from 24 months to 36 months for elderly and disabled households, and creates a new Elderly Simplified Application Program (ESAP) that lets states use data matching instead of in-person interviews to verify eligibility. This means fewer trips to government offices and less paperwork for people who often have mobility or health challenges.
• A new standard medical expense deduction of $155 per month (adjusted for inflation) replaces the old system that required seniors to document every medical cost above a threshold. The bill also raises the minimum monthly SNAP benefit from 8 percent to one-third of the maximum allotment, giving the lowest-income households a bigger boost.
• The bill creates a federally funded grocery delivery program for seniors and adults with disabilities who cannot shop on their own. Stores can be reimbursed up to $10 per delivery, and the service must be free for the recipient. Congress would authorize $500 million per year starting in fiscal year 2027 to cover costs.
• The Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program would get a major funding increase, ramping up to $100 million per year by 2029, with individual benefits set between $35 and $80. A new $15 million annual grant program would help farmers' markets modernize by switching from paper coupons to electronic payment systems.
• The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) would be extended through 2031 and expanded to include low-income adults with disabilities for the first time, not just people aged 60 and older. The bill adds $10 million per year in new funding for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
• A $12.25 million pilot program would fund grants of $50,000 to $250,000 for organizations that help seniors, adults with disabilities, and kinship families (children raised by grandparents or other relatives) learn about and enroll in SNAP. Priority goes to groups serving communities with high food insecurity, rural areas, communities of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and veterans.