Based on a more accurate reporting process, the USDA estimated an error rate of 6.3 percent nationwide for SNAP in fiscal 2017, compared with the 3.66 percent rate reported in 2014. The Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees SNAP, revamped its measurement procedures after questions arose in 2014 about the accuracy of its data.
The error rate measures both overpayment and underpayment of benefits. The “apparent increase” in the error rate was believed to be the result of improved measurement procedures rather than an actual increase in improper payments, said the USDA on Thursday.
In 2015 and 2016, the USDA did not publish a national error rate because of its concern about statistical biases in the system. “A thorough examination of each state’s quality control system and subsequent significant process improvement efforts have resulted in the more accurate payment error rates presented today,” said the government.