NORTH COUNTY - About half of the estimated 4 million Californians eligible for food stamps actually receive them, according to a report released Wednesday by the California Budget Project.

The project is a fiscal and policy research organization that aims to improve policies that benefit low- and middle-income people.

In San Diego, about a quarter of those eligible receive the benefit.

Changes to the program come every five years as part of the federal Farm Bill, which sets much of the country's food policy. Though the bill has not been introduced, Congress must reauthorize the legislation by Sept. 30.

Scott Graves, a senior analyst with the Sacramento-based budget project group, said that he hopes Congress will make changes to reduce barriers to access and increase the program's benefits.

"Every year, families can buy less and less with their food stamps," Graves said. "Boosting food stamp benefits would make a significant difference in the lives of many Californians, helping them purchase not only more food, but also healthier foods."

The federal government sets eligibility rules for the food stamp program, such as income and other criteria. For example, a household's gross income may not exceed 130 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $22,321 a year for a family of three.

But state and local officials have some leeway in determining how applications are processed. Those requirements can create barriers for some low-income families, advocates said.

For example, California is one of only a handful of states that requires adult applicants to submit their fingerprints to prevent fraud and to prove their eligibility every three months.

Fingerprinting can scare off applicants that might otherwise be eligible for the program, said Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project.

"I do think that the fingerprinting requirement is a barrier," Ross said. "People need to take time off from work, and that's an awkward situation when you need to tell your supervisor you need to take time off to take your fingerprints."

Tia Anzellotti, director of the San Diego Hunger Coalition, an anti-hunger advocacy group, said she agreed. A variety of factors, including repeated trips to county offices to apply, have contributed to make San Diego County one of the nation's metro areas with the lowest food stamp participation rates.

Only one in four people, or about 27 percent, who are eligible in San Diego County participated in the food stamp program, according to a report from the Food Research and Action Center, a nonprofit national organization that addresses anti-hunger and poverty policies.

The report said low participation hurts the community at large, including local businesses, because they are not receiving the federal money it might otherwise receive.

Anzellotti said the county is making changes to address the situation, including partnering with nonprofit groups to reach out to the community.

County officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

At the state level, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposal would require participants to prove their eligibility every six months rather than every three.

That would be a welcome change, said Kim McCoy Wade, executive director of the California Association of Food Banks.

"That would be a big step forward in cutting red tape," she said. "It's a change that almost every other state has already made."

The average monthly benefit per household in California was $246 in fiscal year 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There were 90,250 people receiving federal food stamp benefits in San Diego County in March, the most recent data available.

A spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, said the congressman "looks forward to the debate on the Farm Bill." Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Solana Beach, could not be reached for comment.

For more information on the California Budget Project's recommendations go to www.cbp.org.

- Contact staff writer Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-3511 or esifuentes@nctimes.com.