Navigating SNAP waiver submissions: an Iowa case study

Lyndi Buckingham-Schutt; Rebecca Bucklin; Brandi Janssen; Joelle Johnson; Natoshia Askelson

doi:10.3389/fnut.2026.1771849

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Navigating SNAP waiver submissions: an Iowa case study

Journal article

Open access

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Navigating SNAP waiver submissions: an Iowa case study

Lyndi Buckingham-Schutt, Rebecca Bucklin, Brandi Janssen, Joelle Johnson and Natoshia Askelson

Frontiers in nutrition (Lausanne), Vol.13, 1771849

03/10/2026

DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1771849

PMID: 41883409

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Abstract

This case study describes the process to assess the need, gather information, build partnerships, and develop an evaluation for a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) waiver application to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that would have allowed the state of Iowa to test healthy food incentives paired with disincentives. These waivers to test SNAP purchase restrictions and disincentives have been proposed at the national level and have received support from multiple states across the country. Following the rejection of a request to Iowa Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) to submit a waiver to USDA in November 2024, we conducted a post-hoc evaluation of our efforts to develop the proposed waiver with a focus on building strategic partnerships with state officials and other essential partners. We will present the steps taken by the research team to build partnerships with state officials (including challenges experienced with maintaining these partnerships) and the other types of partners who were recruited to move the waiver application forward. We also describe the hurdles that we were unable to overcome and why these hurdles remain despite our efforts. The successes, challenges, and pitfalls of this project offer insights for investigators and state planners hoping to submit similar waiver applications to the USDA.

supplemental nutrition assistance program

nutrition incentives

SNAP restrictions

SNAP waiver

policy

policy development

partnership development

Details

Title: Subtitle: Navigating SNAP waiver submissions: an Iowa case study
Creators: Lyndi Buckingham-Schutt - Iowa State University
Rebecca Bucklin - University of Iowa
Brandi Janssen - University of Iowa
Joelle Johnson - Center for Science in the Public Interest (United States)
Natoshia Askelson - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Frontiers in nutrition (Lausanne), Vol.13, 1771849
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1771849
PMID: 41883409
NLM abbreviation: Front Nutr
ISSN: 2296-861X
eISSN: 2296-861X
Publisher: Frontiers Media
Grant note: Bloomberg Philanthropies
The author(s) declared that financial support was received for this work and/or its publication. This project was supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, but the contents of this research do not necessarily represent the view of Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Language: English
Date published: 03/10/2026
Academic Unit: Public Health Administration; Occupational and Environmental Health; Injury Prevention Research Center; Community and Behavioral Health
Record Identifier: 9985147189302771

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