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Benefits EnrollmentSimplificationPositive

Flexible SNAP Interview Scheduling

Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services · Los Angeles, USA · 2022

Summary

SNAP requires an in-person or phone interview before approval. Letting applicants choose when and how that interview happens—rather than receiving an assigned time—raised approval rates substantially, primarily by reducing procedural denials from missed appointments. The experiment shows that interview scheduling is a meaningful access barrier, not just administrative process.

Research question

"Does giving SNAP applicants control over their interview timing and format increase approval rates?"

Methodology

Intervention

Flexible applicant-initiated interview scheduling vs. standard agency-scheduled interviews

Assignment

Randomized controlled trial (applicant)

Sample size

65,000 SNAP applicants

Primary outcome

SNAP approval rate; early approval rate; long-term participation

Effect estimate

+6 pp approval rate; doubles early approvals; +2 pp long-term participation

Decision

Flexible scheduling adopted across LA County SNAP intake

Result

Positive

+6 pp approval rate; doubles early approvals; +2 pp long-term participation

Evidence strength

Strong

Randomized controlled trial with large sample.

Replication status

Open for replication

Institution

Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services

Location

Los Angeles, USA

Year

2022

Policy area

Benefits Enrollment

Mechanism

Simplification

Other trials of this mechanism

Cite this entry

Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. (2022). Flexible SNAP Interview Scheduling. The Experiment Society Registry. Retrieved from https://www.experimentsociety.org/registry/la-snap-flexible-interview (primary report: https://www.nber.org/papers/w31239)

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Mentioned in the Dispatch

Issue 04 · April 18, 2026

Friction is policy.

What a decade of simplification experiments tells us about administrative burden as a choice.

Open for replication

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