Table 2.

Focus Group Semi-Structured Interview Guide. Questions asked during focus groups with SNAP participants in California during the 2019 SNAP benefit disruption.

1	Thinking about what you and your family eat in a usual month, can you think of any things you are doing that work especially well or any ways that you would like to change what you eat? What would help you meet your goals?
2	In a typical month, how much of your family’s food needs would you say are met by your CalFresh/EBT benefit? Where does the rest come from?
3	In a typical month, do you find yourself worrying about running out of food because you do not have enough EBT benefits or other resources? What do you do if this happens?
4	What did you think about getting a second benefit payment in January?
5	Why do you think you got this benefit?
6	Can you think of any ways in which getting the February benefits in January changed how you shopped for food or what you ate in January?
7	Can you think of any ways that your family’s health was different in January because of this change in how you got CalFresh/EBT?
8	Thinking about stress, how would you say the payment of February CalFresh/EBT benefits in January impacted your stress level? Have any changes in stress affected how well you feel? What about your family members?
9	Did you have any days that you missed work or school due to health issues in January? Any hospitalizations? Did your children have any changes in their school attendance, behavior, or achievement during January?
10	Can you think of any ways in which the longer period between receiving CalFresh/EBT benefits has changed how you shopped for or got food or what you ate in February?
11	Can you think of any ways that your family’s health was different in February?
12	Thinking about your stress level, how has increased time between CalFresh benefits impacted your stress level?
13	What do you want decision makers to know about your experience with this change in CalFresh/EBT payments?
14	Has this change in payments led you to think about any ways you’d like to see CalFresh/EBT change? Has this given you any new ideas about your usual CalFresh/EBT benefit levels?
15	How can CalFresh/EBT better help you and your family? If your CalFresh benefits could be increased, how much more per week do you think it would take for you to be able to feed yourself/your family?