Answer key: Exercise 2, Check before using
Time: 12 minutes (3 to ask, 4 to check, 5 to discuss the conflict). Handout: Exercise 2.
The official answer
From the USDA Food and Nutrition Service's FY 2027 cost-of-living page (checked 2026-11-03): the gross monthly income limit for a household of 4 in the 48 states and DC is $3,575, 130% of the poverty line, effective October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
Printed copy of the row, for when there's no internet:
| Household size | 48 states, DC, Guam, Virgin Islands | Alaska | Hawaii |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | $3,575 | $4,469 | $4,112 |
Update this every October 1, when the USDA publishes new numbers. The RUNBOOK has the steps, and a test fails if the cached source no longer has this row.
What usually happens
On the November 3, 2026 check run (Claude Sonnet, three times, no web search), Claude was careful:
- Every time, it gave last year's limit, $3,483, and labeled it as the figure for fiscal year 2026.
- Twice it added "about $3,575" for the new year and called it an estimate. Once it said it couldn't give a reliable new number.
- Every time, it said to check the USDA or the state SNAP agency.
So Claude didn't get it wrong, exactly. But a pair now has two numbers, one of them a guess, and only the source settles which to use. That's the lesson. If Claude on the day gives one confident number with no year, that's the lesson too: ask "for what dates?"
On claude.ai, Claude may search the web and find the current table. Then ask: "How would you know that page is the official one?"
The Tennessee conflict
This is real, found while building a benefits screener in October 2026:
- A June 2026 news story (Hoodline) says Tennessee adopted "broad-based categorical eligibility", raising the gross limit from 130% to 200% of poverty. For four people, 200% is about $5,500 a month.
- The USDA's own BBCE state chart (checked 2026-11-03) does not list Tennessee.
- No official Tennessee document we could find confirms the change or its start date.
So the honest answer is "we don't know yet." Good answers from the room:
- Tell the client she might qualify, and to apply anyway; only the agency decides.
- Call the Tennessee Department of Human Services or 211 to ask.
- Don't tell her she doesn't qualify based on a number from Claude, or from one website.
If something goes wrong
- The USDA page has moved or changed: use the printed row above and say so. Then tell the kit's maintainer (see the RUNBOOK).
- Someone outside Tennessee: the federal figure applies in most states, but many states use BBCE with a higher limit. The lesson holds: check your state agency.