A new report shows that despite public perception of fraud in many safety net programs, there is no evidence of widespread fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), either in Ohio or nationwide.
Our friends at The Center for Community Solutions (CCS) released a report on Monday detailing SNAP’s strong anti-fraud protections. Written by CCS Consultant Rachel Cahill, the report details the SNAP eligibility determination process, which includes information submitted by the applicant, an interview by a county caseworker, and confirmation through 19 different electronic data sources before an applicant is approved for benefits.
According to the report, only a small fraction of SNAP participants each year are disqualified from benefits due to intentional program violations, and fewer than 1 percent of SNAP benefits are “trafficked,” defined as “the buying, selling, stealing, or otherwise effecting an exchange of SNAP benefits…for cash or consideration other than eligible food.” Ohio’s payment error rate, a measure calculated by including both underpayments and overpayments, was also low and in-line with national averages in fiscal year 2019.
“SNAP is a highly effective, efficient, and accurate program that delivers critically-important nutrition assistance to the lowest-income Ohioans every month.”
Cahill writes that “SNAP eligibility determinations are so thorough and reliable, in fact, that many other assistance programs use SNAP enrollment as a proxy for their own eligibility (such as the WIC Program, Free and Reduced-Price School Meals, and the Lifeline Program).”
With recently proposed legislation, most notably Senate Bill 17 sponsored by Senator Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster), seeking to make changes to eligibility requirements for SNAP recipients and other safety net programs, Cahill’s report makes it clear that additional administrative barriers to accessing SNAP benefits are redundant and excessive. SNAP is a strong program that is vital for 1.5 million Ohioans, and lawmakers should create more opportunities to expand access to benefits so Ohioans can get the help they need.
Join the Fight Against SB 17
Sign on to AOF’s letter that will be delivered to all members of the Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee and Senate Majority Leadership opposing SB 17. Sign on HERE.
Share CCS’s report in your community and with your state legislators.
When speaking with others about SNAP, emphasize that SNAP is a strong, important program free of widespread fraud.
by: Sarah Hudacek, AOF Policy Assistant