A bill authored by Maine Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, of Pennsylvania, has passed out of committee as part of the Senate Farm Bill.
Collins' provision, known as the "Nourishing Our Golden Years Act," makes it easier for senior citizens to stay eligible for the need-based senior food box program. To get the food, participants have had to go through a detailed financial assessment every six months.
"This lightens up the rules so we don't have to do it as often," says Jason Hall, who oversees the USDA program in Maine.
Hall says for many participants on a fixed income, the six month recertification process was onerous. "A lot of these people are retirees, they have doctors appointments, they have other things they're trying to pay attention to," he says. "And to keep kind of grilling them on the finances is a burden."
The bill reduces the recertification process to once per year.
Hall says the improvement is welcome, but he says he hopes the program will also continue to grow; currently he says his department is only able to serve about a third of potentially eligible seniors with the senior food boxes.