In 2010, DHR’s food stamp error rate _ a key measure of our ability to provide quality customer service _ had ballooned to an unacceptable 7.68 percent. Maryland ranked dead last among the 50 states, and as a result the department was placed into sanction status by the USDA, which administers the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
Two years later, after a concerted effort to improve the accuracy of our work, we’ve cut our error rate for the Food Supplement Program (FSP) in half, making Maryland the most improved state in the nation. Even better, we’re no longer in sanction status. In fact, Maryland is in line to receive a bonus payment from the USDA.
The SNAP error rate measures how accurately states determine an applicant’s benefit levels. It is an important measure of how well a state is managing program accuracy.
Preliminary information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service shows that our error rate for the year ending Sept. 30 was below 3.20 percent, the lowest the rate has ever been in Maryland. In FFY 2011, the error rate was 6.06 percent. And this week we learned the downward trend is continuing: for the month of October 2012, the preliminary SNAP payment error rate is 2.15%.
To achieve these results, we implemented a statewide system of case reviews that allowed mistakes to be corrected before the benefits were issued. In one year, more than 130,000 pre-reviews were conducted throughout Maryland. Additional strides were made to improve the knowledge base of local office staff by training and testing online in a bi-weekly “SNAP Challenge” exercise that grades knowledge of policy and procedure.
Caroline County DSS workers proudly display the highly coveted Golden Fork Award for improving SNAP payment accuracy. Maryland is the most improved state for reducing food stamp payment errors.
The turnaround didn’t happen overnight, and I credit our hardworking FIA caseworkers and supervisors for trusting the plan and delivering on our promise to improve accountability and customer service. The fact that we’ve cut our rate in half at a time when our caseloads are increasing makes the accomplishment even more impressive. Last year, DHR processed more than 27,000 Food Supplement Program (FSP) applications, and more than 354,000 low-income households in Maryland were able to buy the food they need for good health.
Our Family Investment team can be proud of the hard work it took to achieve the state’s lowest food stamp error rate and for making sure low-income Maryland residents are receiving accurate and timely benefits.
