DHHS Has One of Lowest SNAP Error Rates in Nation

By Jeffery M. Powell

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a payment error rate report regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the previous fiscal year for each state. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) had an error rate of 7.34% which was the 15th lowest error rate in the nation in fiscal year 2022. The national average error rate was 11.54%

SNAP provides nutrition support to thousands of Nebraska families in need. The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) works with partner states such as Nebraska to ensure that SNAP provides the right amount of benefits to eligible families in the prescribed timeframes. This fiscal year 2022 error rate report will be the first payment error rate announcement in two years due to pandemic-related flexibilities from Congress.

DHHS implemented several practices to maintain a low error rate such as:

·      Setting up external customer service centers to help with increased call levels due to the pandemic

·      DHHS maintained quality control and payment accuracy during the pandemic

·      DHHS only sought waivers that would ensure the accuracy of benefit processing remained intact

·      The Department validates all high-dollar payments over $350

To ensure taxpayer money is spent the way it should, Nebraska along with other states, is required to randomly select a certain number of SNAP cases and thoroughly re-check eligibility and benefit levels. If an improper payment is identified, such as a household receiving more benefits than it was entitled (overpayment) or less benefits (underpayment), the state works to make a correction. A state’s payment error rate is the combination of both overpayment and underpayment error rates. The vast majority of improper payments are due to error and are not a result of fraud.  

Each year, as required by law, FNS analyzes the final data collected from states and uses the information to determine the payment error rate for states. States which have high payment error rates must work with FNS to reduce the number of cases that have mistakes. Those states experiencing high error rates two years in a row are charged a penalty. The fiscal year 2022 payment error rates are the first to reflect pandemic operations.

“This report is the first to reflect SNAP payment error rates during the pandemic years. This shows that despite facing historic challenges, DHHS continued to use stringent and disciplined practices to distribute payments efficiently and effectively to those most in need of services,” said CEO Dannette R Smith. “While we will continue working to improve, I am proud of the DHHS team for this great achievement.”

While Nebraska’s error rate of 7.34% was one of the lowest in the nation, any state with an error rate over 6% is required to develop and execute a corrective action plan to reduce payment error rates and their root causes. DHHS looks forward to working with FNS to further reduce its error rate.

To learn more about the SNAP program, please click here.

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