The COLAs Don't Count Act of 2023 changes how the government calculates whether people qualify for SNAP benefits (food stamps) and how much assistance they receive. Right now, when the government determines if someone is eligible for SNAP, it counts certain income sources against them. This bill says that cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs)—the automatic raises that Social Security recipients get to keep up with inflation—should no longer be counted as income for SNAP purposes. The same goes for railroad retirement benefits, veterans' benefits, and certain supplementary payments from Social Security.

In practical terms, this means seniors, veterans, and railroad retirees who receive these types of benefit increases would be able to keep more of their money without losing SNAP eligibility or having their benefits reduced. For example, if an elderly person on Social Security gets a yearly COLA increase, that extra money won't count against them when determining their food assistance benefits. This could help people who are already struggling financially stay on SNAP or receive higher benefits, since the income threshold used to determine eligibility would effectively be lower. The bill essentially recognizes that cost-of-living adjustments are meant to help people keep pace with inflation, not to make them wealthier, so they shouldn't disqualify vulnerable people from food assistance.

COLAs Don’t Count Act of 2023

Moore, Gwen

COLAs Don't Count Act of 2023 This bill revises requirements for determining eligibility and benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to exclude income received from certain (1) cost-of-living adjustments&nbsp;under the Social Security Act and to railroad retirement and veterans' benefits, and (2) supplementary payments under the&nbsp;Social Security Act.