Good news! The federal government is giving more money to several states to help fight SNAP benefit theft. The goal of this project is to make the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program safer and make sure that benefits get to the people who really need them.
Several funds have been given to different states by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). These grants are only for investing in technology that stops fraud, teaching, and prevention. This is being done because of the large number of lost SNAP claims that have been reported across the country.
USDA Awards Funding Grants to Combat Benefit Fraud
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, which work like debit cards, are used to deliver SNAP payments. Every month, money is put on these cards so that their owners can buy groceries at participating shops across the country. Unfortunately, EBT cards can be used for scams like cloning, phishing, and skimming, just like regular debit or credit cards.
The USDA reported that 67,496 accepted stolen benefit claims were made in just the second quarter of 2024. Over $32 million in payments were stolen and had to be replaced. This shows how badly we need to improve security right away.
- Fraud Technology: Investing in advanced systems to detect and prevent fraudulent activities.
- Prevention: Implementing strategies to protect against potential scams and frauds.
- Education: Raising awareness among recipients about the risks and how to safeguard their benefits.
With these funds, states can better protect their citizens and make sure that SNAP benefits are used for what they were meant to do.
Ten states were recently given grants by the USDA to help their human services, health, and family offices fight benefit fraud. These states are getting these grants:
- Illinois Department of Human Services
- Florida Department of Children and Families
- Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
- Maine Department of Health and Human Services
- Michigan Health and Human Services
- Minnesota Department of Human Services
- Mississippi Department of Human Services
- Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
- Texas Health and Human Services Commission
- West Virginia Department of Human Services
All together, funds worth a total of $4.9 million have been given to these ten states. Each state, though, gets a different amount, so the distribution isn’t fair.
The states that get the money can use it for a number of different things. For example, in Minnesota, the money will be used to put in place card technology that keeps people who get benefits safe. In Kentucky, the money will be used to teach SNAP users, stores, and local governments about fraud risks and how to avoid them.
Funding Allocation Examples
Other states will use their funding for initiatives such as:
- Media campaigns to raise awareness of theft tactics.
- Staff training on preventing fraud during the application stages.
Restrictions on Fund Usage
Keep in mind that the money can’t be used to pay back people whose benefits were stolen; that money comes from a different source. The current federal law says that states have to replace benefits that have been stolen.
There is no change in the commitment of the Biden-Harris administration or the USDA to improve SNAP, protect vulnerable households, and fight fraud, according to a statement from Cindy Long, deputy under secretary for USDA Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services.
These awards are very important because they give states the tools they need to give program benefits in a way that meets the needs of the people they serve best and keeps the program’s morality high.
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