The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 set a tolerance level, or threshold, for excluding small errors from calculation of the SNAP payment error rate. Beginning with fiscal year 2015, the threshold has been adjusted annually to correspond with changes in the Thrifty Food Plan for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.
SNAP’s QC system uses a tolerance level to set the threshold for determining which errors are included in the national payment error rate calculation. The first year the TFP based adjustment will occur is FY 2015. FNS is adjusting the threshold using the TFP for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. FNS calculated the percentage change between the June 30, 2013 TFP (FY 2014) and the June 30, 2014 TFP (FY 2015). FNS has applied that percentage to the $37 QC tolerance level, which results in an increase to $38.
FNS is conducting a study, Understanding Risk Assessment in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Payment Accuracy, to develop a comprehensive picture of whether and how SNAP state agencies use RA tools and determine if these tools create disparate impacts on protected classes.
USDA is committed to providing nutrition assistance to hard-hit families across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. In support of President Biden’s call to action on hunger, USDA announced that it is increasing the Pandemic EBT benefit by approximately 15 percent, providing more money for low-income families and millions of children missing meals due to school and child care closures.
The efficiency and effectiveness of states’ administration of SNAP are critical aspects of maintaining program integrity.
Case and procedural error rates assesses the accuracy of state agency actions in cases in which applicants were denied, terminated, or suspended and did not receive benefits.
Ensuring eligible SNAP households get the right amount of benefits.
This information, effective as of FY 2024 case reviews, is being collected to assist the Food and Nutrition Service with SNAP's Quality Control Reviews. This is a mandatory collection and FNS uses the information for program monitoring, evaluation, corrective action, and characteristics.
The following documents are located in the Disaster SNAP Guidance and D-SNAP Toolkit, but have been separated out for convenient access as they are among the most frequently used tools by states during D-SNAP planning, operations, and reporting.
USDA is issuing this notice of proposed rulemaking to improve SNAP's quality control system as required in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.