Student Defense Calls For Minnesota to Incorporate Text Message Outreach Into SNAP Administration Statewide
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2026
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Student Defense Calls For Minnesota to Incorporate Text Message Outreach Into SNAP Administration Statewide
St. Paul, Minn. — Student Defense today called for Minnesota to increase text message outreach to reduce the number of eligible SNAP recipients, including college students, who miss out on benefits because of the administrative requirements.
Food insecurity remains one of the largest barriers to college completion nationwide. In Minnesota, nearly 40 percent of undergraduate students struggle to meet their basic needs, including the ability to access and afford food.
In a memo sent today to the state SNAP agency, Student Defense says “a well-designed text outreach system - especially one that is multilingual, consent-based, and tied to timely action steps - would make SNAP more accessible.” The memo cites national studies that show “text message reminders substantially increase the likelihood of attending clinic appointments. In one study, reminders sent 24–72 hours before an appointment increased attendance by 50 percent, compared with no reminder.”
All SNAP recipients nationwide are required to complete an interview when they apply initially, and for each subsequent recertification. Minnesota allows residents to complete a telephone interview at their convenience, instead of during a specific appointment time. The memo says incorporating a text message reminder “would provide information that individuals can immediately act upon by calling to complete the interview.”
Both federal and state laws permit text messages as a form of communication. In fact, the USDA encourages it, and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), already offers opt-in text messaging outreach for some programs including MinnesotaCare and Medicare Savings Programs. Similarly, Minnesota’s Hennepin County “has already tested the use of text message notifications in the SNAP recertification process, including messages with information about conducting on-demand interviews.”
“Minnesota has already made great progress implementing text message outreach in a number of programs. Incorporating it into the state’s SNAP administration processes would build on that momentum,” said Laura Bart, Student Defense Legal Fellow. “This is a straightforward way to help more Minnesotans and college students access food benefits, which could have a profound impact on college completion in the state.”
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About Student Defense
The National Student Legal Defense Network (“Student Defense”) is a non-profit organization that works, through litigation and advocacy, to advance students' rights to educational opportunity and to ensure that higher education provides a launching point for economic mobility.
