Massachusetts State Representatives Kay Khan of Newton and Marjorie C. Decker of Cambridge cited Children’s HealthWatch research in a letter to House Ways and Means Chairman, Brian Dempsey, asking him to consider level funding for Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) in the FY15 budget.  Because of a projected decline in the TAFDC caseload, level funding would allow the state to pay struggling families approximately $70 a month more.

“Children’s HealthWatch at Boston Medical Center similarly determined that the federal Recovery Act’s boost in SNAP benefits correlated with children more likely to be classified as “well.” Unfortunately, the SNAP increase expired last fall, making it critical that TAFDC benefits for very low-income families be increased so we do not lose the gains made from the Recovery Act.”

“Moreover, there is ample research confirming that young children who experience hardships such as lack of nutritious food, unstable housing and utility cut-offs are at an increased risk of negative health effects, including developmental delays, that can have life-long consequences.”