The error rate of SNAP over- and underpayments — 11.54 percent — “is unacceptable and threatens the integrity of the program,” said the leaders of the Senate and House Agriculture committees, who oversee food stamps. The error rate in fiscal 2022 was the highest in years and 4 points higher than before the pandemic.
SNAP, which helps low-income people buy food, is the largest USDA program, with 42.4 million participants at latest count. The program cost $119 billion during fiscal 2022 — double its pre-pandemic tally— because enrollment surged due to economic stress during Covid and because Congress temporarily boosted benefit levels.
Conservative Republicans in the House argued for stricter SNAP work requirements as part of the debt limit agreement a month ago and could pursue further restrictions as part of the farm bill due this year. The 2012 and 2018 farm bills were delayed by GOP proposals to slash food stamps.
“The pandemic caused new challenges for USDA and states alike, who took measures to ensure access to SNAP. However, the national error rate as reported today is unacceptable and threatens the integrity of the program,” said the four Agriculture Committee leaders in a joint statement. The leaders are Senate chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, House chairman Glenn Thompson, and the minority leaders on the committees, Sen. John Boozman and Rep. David Scott.
In its first report on SNAP error rates since 2019, the USDA said the nationwide error rate of 11.54 percent in fiscal 2022 included an overpayment rate of 9.84 percent and an underpayment rate of 1.70 percent. In fiscal 2019, the overall rate was 7.36 percent nationwide. In fiscal 2018, it was 6.80 percent.
“We are doubling down to work with state partners to find ways to decrease payment errors and tackle the issues aggressively at the root cause,” said Agriculture deputy undersecretary Stacy Dean. “The first state-by-state set of payment error rates coming out of the pandemic reflects the challenging circumstances under which the state agencies were operating, and from which many are continuing to recover.”
As part of flexibilities granted by Congress during the pandemic, states were not required to conduct quality control reviews in fiscal 2020 and 2021. The reviews resumed in 2022. Some states had high staff-vacancy rates in 2022 as the nation recovered.
Payment error rates “are not synonymous with fraud,” said the USDA. The error rate is a measurement of how accurately states determine eligibility and benefit amounts, it said. State social service agencies administer SNAP. The government provides the guidelines and funding for benefits.
The highest error rates in 2022 were in Alaska, at 56.97 percent, and Maryland, at 35.56 percent. The lowest were in South Dakota, at 3.07 percent, and Idaho, at 3.44 percent. In 2019, the highest rates were in Rhode Island, at 22.66 percent, and Maine, 19.12 percent. Idaho was the lowest, at 1.25 percent.
The think tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said the USDA determined that half of overpayments and 80 percent of underpayments were the states’ fault in 2019. “Most others resulted from simple errors by households, not intentional fraud,” it said. Households are required to pay back overpayments, and states are obliged to make up for underpayments. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said the error rate does not include incorrect denial or termination of benefits.
To see SNAP error rates since fiscal 2003, click here.