USDA fines Alaska $11.9 million for failing to ensure SNAP recipients are eligible

IGA Foodland market shop successful Juneau connected Dec. 20, 2022 (Paige Sparks/KTOO)

The national agency down nan nutrient stamp programme is assessing an $11.9 cardinal good connected nan authorities of Alaska for failing to accurately gauge who is eligible for benefits, according to a letter from nan U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.

For nan 2nd twelvemonth successful a row, Alaska’s alleged “payment correction rate” for nan Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program topped 50%. Also for nan 2nd twelvemonth successful a row, Alaska’s correction complaint is nan highest successful nan federation astatine 60%. The rates released Friday screen nan one-year play betwixt October 2022 and September 2023.

Generally, costs errors travel from authorities agencies incorrectly certifying personification who’s not eligible for nan programme aliases calculating nan use magnitude incorrectly. The immense mostly of Alaska’s errors were overpayments, according to nan Food and Nutrition Service.

Deb Etheridge, head of nan authorities Division of Public Assistance, which administers nan program, said nan precocious complaint isn’t a motion that Alaskans are defrauding nan program.

“These are mostly unintentional,” Etheridge said successful an question and reply Thursday. “They tin consequence for a number of reasons, arsenic elemental arsenic clerical errors aliases just, you know, a misunderstanding of guidance connected nan client’s behalf. “

Or, successful this case, a misunderstanding connected nan state’s behalf.

SNAP recipients are typically required to recertify that they’re eligible for nan programme each six months. Etheridge said nan authorities initially misinterpreted a national argumentation that they thought allowed authorities officials to widen that aggregate times. In fact, Etheridge said, nan authorities was only allowed to widen it once.

When they corrected nan problem, Etheridge said a backlog successful SNAP applications started to build. So nan authorities reversed course, contrary to national requirements, successful bid to clear nan backlog, Etheridge said. 

It was a “difficult decision,” Etheridge said. “But, honestly, we wouldn’t person been capable to get done nan backlog having not extended those certification periods, and we had a batch of group who were going to beryllium losing benefits.”

The authorities has since received a waiver that allows recipients to spell up to a twelvemonth betwixt certifications, Etheridge said. 

A USDA spokesperson told Alaska Public Media by email that nan authorities has besides now received a waiver from a abstracted request to question and reply applicants for nan SNAP program. In January, nan national agency threatened to trim backing for nan program aft nan authorities paused interviews successful an effort to drawback up connected its backlog. That informing has now been lifted, nan spokesperson said.

State officials announced in March that they had caught up connected nan SNAP backlog, though nan agency has struggled to support up pinch applications for different programs. The Division of Public Assistance is facing lawsuits complete its slow handling of SNAP and Medicaid applications.

Nearly each different authorities and territory crossed nan state had a costs correction complaint supra nan national benchmark of 6%, but Alaska’s complaint acold exceeds astir different states. The 2nd highest complaint for nan play was that of New Jersey, astatine 36%.

People who received SNAP benefits who were not eligible, aliases group who received much than they were eligible for, whitethorn person to salary a information of nan use back, Etheridge said. People who were overpaid owed to an correction by nan agency must return astatine astir 1 period of overpaid benefits, aliases up to $360, whichever is smaller. Current recipients who were overpaid tin discuss a costs scheme of $10 per period aliases less, according to section policy.

The authorities tin entreaty nan good aliases work together to put half of nan punishment magnitude successful improvements to nan state’s SNAP program.