Improving Food Assistance Program Integrity

USDA’s food assistance programs provide nutritional benefits to one in five Americans, and USDA has made progress in reducing fraud, waste, and abuse in these programs, but challenges remain. The department will be challenged to make further improvements in program integrity in concert with recent efforts to ensure program access to those in need and improve the nutritional content of food provided, particularly in light of declining economic conditions and rising food prices. Our work has shown the following:

• Payment errors and trafficking in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program) have declined despite increased participation. However, USDA could enhance program integrity by better targeting stores likely to engage in trafficking (providing cash for benefits instead of food) and increasing associated penalties and by improving guidance and monitoring to help ensure appropriate use of noncash categorical eligibility. Similarly, USDA has recently assessed the rate and types of erroneous payments in its school meals programs, and it will be challenged to identify ways to reduce these errors.

  Highlights of GAO-07-53 (PDF), Full report of GAO-07-465 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-438T (PDF)

• It will be increasingly important for USDA to continue to look for ways to improve the cost-effectiveness of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), both by tracking quantities and prices of foods purchased through WIC and by containing infant formula costs.

  Highlights of GAO-06-664 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-06-380 (PDF)

• USDA has made progress in increasing participation in food assistance programs, but GAO has recommended that USDA consider, evaluate, and provide information on alternative methods to apply for and maintain program benefits.

  Highlights of GAO-07-573 (PDF)

• While USDA oversees the nutritional content of lunches and breakfasts served through the federal school meals programs, almost all schools sell additional foods through vending machines and other venues that are largely unregulated by the federal government. Given the prevalence of these foods, as well as emerging concerns about child obesity trends, USDA can play an important role in providing technical assistance to schools to help them limit the availability of foods with limited nutritional value.

  Highlights of GAO-05-563 (PDF)

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

To help ensure that food assistance programs are provided in compliance with applicable laws and regulations and to improve program integrity, USDA needs to

• take steps to identify stores most likely to traffic in food stamps and provide more targeted oversight of these stores.

  Highlights of GAO-07-53 (PDF)

To identify and encourage strategies to increase participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program while maintaining program integrity, USDA should

• analyze data from states that have implemented waivers or demonstration projects waiving the face-to-face interview to better assess the effect of these efforts on outcomes such as participation and payment accuracy, and
• disseminate information on alternatives to the traditional application and recertification process.

  Highlights of GAO-07-573 (PDF)

To assist WIC state agencies in more effectively monitoring WIC vendors, USDA needs to

• require WIC state agencies to collect data on both the price and the quantity of each WIC food item purchased, especially in states that authorize WIC-only vendors.

  Highlights of GAO-06-664 (PDF)

^ Back to topKey Reports

Food Stamp Program: Payment Errors and Trafficking Have Declined despite Increased Program Participation

GAO-07-422T, January 31, 2007

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 24 pages)   Accessible Text

Food Stamp Program: FNS Could Improve Guidance and Monitoring to Help Ensure Appropriate Use of Noncash Categorical Eligibility

GAO-07-465, March 28, 2007

Summary (HTML)   Full Report (PDF, 120 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

Food Stamp Program: Use of Alternative Methods to Apply for and Maintain Benefits Could Be Enhanced by Additional Evaluation and Information on Promising Practices

GAO-07-573, May 3, 2007

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 46 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

Food Stamp Trafficking: FNS Could Enhance Program Integrity by Better Targeting Stores Likely to Traffic and Increasing Penalties

GAO-07-53, October 13, 2006

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 36 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

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