This report addresses the issue of whether Federal regulations and certain state and local office practices and procedures may discourage or prevent eligible persons from participating in the Food Stamp Program. The report focuses on only those procedures and practices that affect households once they have contacted the local food stamp office for assistance. Reviewed were application procedures and 664 case records for fiscal years 1984 and 1985 in California, Illinois, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Texas. It was found that, under certain circumstances, procedures adopted by these states prevented or delayed eligible households from applying for food stamps and participating in the Food Stamp Program. In addition, households with the same income can receive more food stamps in some states than in others because Food and Nutrition Service regulations permit states to calculate a household's monthly income in two different ways. Recommendations are offered. Data are presented on two tables. Appendices provide the following: (1) comments from the United States Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service, and from state agencies in California, Illinois, Maryland, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin; (2) a list of the 33 local offices where the review was conducted; and (3) a list of the major contributors to the report, grouped by the Federal office in which they work. (BJV)