United States Department of Agriculture

Food and Nutrition Service

Southeast Region

 

Policy Memorandum 250.11-01:  Public Disclosure of Information Regarding Food Distribution Program (FDP) Recipients

 

This memorandum is a restatement of policy previously issued as Food Distribution Policy Memoranda 82-27 on August 17, 1982, and 88-3 on December 3, 1987.  Any changes made to the original texts are in bold.

 

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide you with guidance regarding public requests for identification records of food assistance recipients.

 

Public disclosure of the names, addresses, and other personal identifying information on program recipients is inconsistent with long-standing Food and Nutrition Service policy concerning recipients of the Department’s food assistance programs.

 

Normally, most records of Federal, State, and local programs such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children, State and local general assistance, medical assistance, social security, etc., are maintained so as to protect the privacy of recipients from unwarranted injury, annoyances, or unsolicited publicity should such records be requested for public release.  The disclosure of personal identification records of food program recipients usually serves no useful purpose, and can actually discourage participation, thus defeating the goal of the FDPs.

 

While we discourage the disclosure of recipients’ names, addresses, and other identifying information, we have no objection to the release of program information such as terms and conditions of Federal/State agreements, eligibility criteria, distribution and participation statistics, etc.

 

These confidentiality requirements extend to the information provided on free and reduced price applications submitted for Child Nutrition Programs.  The information provided on free and reduced price meal and free milk applications can be used only for determining eligibility for Child Nutrition Program benefits and carrying out verification requirements.  This does not, however, exclude providing summary information such as the number of children eligible for free or reduced meals and milk, without disclosing names of eligible children.  This information could be a means of demonstrating that a particular area is an economically depressed area and could provide sufficient data to verify the need for outreach activities involving other FDPs.

 

In regard to determining individual or household eligibility for other programs, free and reduced price application information can only be released if prior approval is obtained from the applicant household.  This can be accomplished in two ways.  Specific signed releases can be obtained or the application and notification wording could be modified to indicate the application information could be used for eligibility determinations of programs besides Child Nutrition Programs.

 

State distributing agencies receiving requests for names of food assistance recipients should also check with the State attorney, as the release of such information may also violate State privacy laws.