Release No. 0240.08
Contact: Regan Hopper (703) 305-2281
Printable version
USDA Awards $18 Million to States for Outstanding Customer Service in
Nutrition Aid WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2008 - USDA's Food, Nutrition and
Consumer Services today announced $18 million in bonus awards to states in
fiscal year (FY) 2007 for outstanding and timely customer service in the
administration of what has been known as the Food Stamp Program, soon to be
known by name change from Congress as "SNAP" - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program.
"I am truly inspired by the meaningful work our State partners do each day to
help us improve the health and wellness of those we work so hard to serve," said
USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Nancy Montanez
Johner. "Increasing participation among eligible individuals in need of food
stamp benefits is crucial to reduce food insecurity and combat hunger
domestically."
Each year USDA awards a total of $12 million in high performance bonuses to
the eight States with the best and most improved program access index. The
program access index is the ratio of participants to the number of people below
125 percent of poverty. The States with best program access index for FY 2007
are Missouri, Tennessee, Oregon, Hawaii, West Virginia and Kentucky. The States
with the most improved program access index are Hawaii, Missouri, Vermont and
New Hampshire.
USDA also awards a total of $6 million among the six States with the
timeliest processed applications. States receiving these awards are
Massachusetts, West Virginia, Missouri, North Carolina, Montana and Louisiana.
USDA's 15 nutrition assistance programs reach one in five Americans each year
and serve as our Nation's first-line of defense against hunger. The Food Stamp
Program is USDA's largest domestic nutrition assistance program serving more
than 28 million individuals each month.
The 14 states listed will receive the following high
performance bonus awards:
Best
Program Access Index
State |
Bonus Amount |
Missouri |
$2,506,980 |
Tennessee |
$3,194,735 |
Oregon |
$1,908,681 |
Hawaii |
$462,480 |
West Virginia |
$1,059,591 |
Kentucky |
$2,230,082 |
Most
Improved Program Access Index
State |
Bonus Amount |
Hawaii |
* |
Missouri |
* |
Vermont |
$306,995 |
New Hampshire |
$330,456 |
Total |
$12,000,000 |
Best
Application Processing Timeliness Rate
State |
Bonus Amount |
Massachusetts |
$1,056,941 |
West Virginia |
$579,403 |
Missouri |
$1,302,504 |
North Carolina |
$1,660,377 |
Montana |
$238,990 |
Louisiana |
$1,161,785 |
Total |
$6,000,000 |
Hawaii and Missouri are recognized in both the best and
most improved for the program access index category. States can receive only one
bonus in a category.
In June 2008, the Food Stamp Program awarded $30
million to states for excellence in administering benefits. Awardees included
South Dakota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Missouri, Mississippi, Pennsylvania,
Washington, Florida, Arizona, Alabama Minnesota, Oregon and Kansas.
On October 1, 2008, the Food Stamp Program will change
its name to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) -- a program
that supports individuals and families by putting healthy foods within reach.
For more information, visit
www.fns.usda.gov/snap.
Last modified:
12/05/2008
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