Crossing the Finish Line: Administrative Attention Overload, Reminders, and SNAP Application Completion

Abstract

Incomplete online applications are a substantial challenge for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest anti-hunger program in the United States. As applications become easier to start, they may also become easier to abandon. We conceptualize administrative attention overload as a form of cognitive load that arises when the sustained attentional demands of an administrative process exceed an individual’s available cognitive capacity. In the large U.S. state we studied, more than 40 percent of applicants did not complete their applications. We test whether simple reminder messages can help applicants return and finish their applications. In a field experiment (N = 5,978), receiving a reminder increased application completion among applicants who had abandoned their applications by 26 percentage points within four days (95% CI: 24.4 to 27.7). By contrast, varying reminder timing by four days did not affect long-run completion rates. The difference was only 0.5 percentage points (p = 0.68). A simple reminder can substantially raise completion among people who have already shown enough interest to start an application. As states increasingly digitize safety net enrollment, reducing administrative burdens requires not only making applications easier to start but also providing support to help applicants finish them.