Release No. 0230.05
Contact: Ed Loyd (202)720-4623
Susan Acker (703)305-2286
USDA Announces A Historic
Payment Accuracy Rate and Awards
$30 Million to States for Exemplary Administration of the Food Stamp Program
WASHINGTON, June 24,
2005 --Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced that the Food Stamp
Program has achieved a historic 94.12 percent overall payment accuracy rate and
that USDA has awarded $30 million to 16 states for their exemplary
administration of the program in fiscal year (FY) 2004.
"The Food Stamp Program
is the foundation of our federal nutrition assistance safety net," said Johanns.
"Ensuring access to all who are eligible while maintaining program integrity is
a top priority. We are pleased to recognize and congratulate those states that
have ensured efficient, accurate and effective administration of this critical
program."
The rate of payment
accuracy in the Food Stamp Program has improved 34 percent between FY2000 and
FY2004 and is the highest rate achieved since the inception of the program. This
improvement in payment accuracy is a result of strong partnerships with states
administering the program as well as implementation of program simplifications
and policy options provided in the 2002 Farm Bill.
As authorized by the
2002 Farm Bill, USDA provides awards to states with the best and most improved
payment accuracy rates and lowest and most improved negative error rates. The
payment accuracy rate measures both the rate of overpayment and underpayments to
recipients to ensure households are receiving the right amount of nutrition
assistance benefits. The negative error rate measures the frequency of improper
denials or termination of benefits.
The seven states with
the best payment accuracy rates and the three states with the most improved
payment accuracy rates will divide $24 million. An additional $6 million will be
divided between the four states with the lowest negative error rates and the two
states with the most improved negative error rates.
The Food Stamp Program
provides support to needy households and to those making the transition to
self-sufficiency. The program serves as the first line of defense against
hunger, with almost 25 million individuals in over 11 million households
currently participating in the program. The program enables low-income families
to buy nutritious food with Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.
The following states
will receive bonus awards:
BEST PAYMENT ERROR RATES
|
MOST IMPROVED PAYMENT
ERROR RATES |
- South Dakota
$245,052
- New Jersey
$2,003,796
- North Carolina
$3,665,488
- Utah $561,367
- Pennsylvania
$5,010,200
- Texas $10,032,175
- North Dakota
$213,251
|
- Alaska $205,389
- Kansas $861,132
- Colorado $1,202,150
|
BEST NEGATIVE ERROR RATES |
MOST IMPROVED NEGATIVE ERROR RATES
|
- South Carolina
$743,191
- Nebraska $172,623
- New Hampshire
$84,825
- Wyoming $37,277
|
- Florida $2,082,303
- New York $2,879,781
|
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