Reiterating his Department's "zero tolerance" policy towards fraud in the SNAP, program, formerly called food stamps, Under Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Concannon on Thursday announced a number of steps USDA is taking to crack down on benefit diversion and misuse.
The biggest change is that the Department is moving away from an "either/or" punishment for retailers who traffic SNAP benefits. Currently, retailers found to have trafficked in benefits face disqualification from the program or a financial penalty, but not both.
The proposed new sanctions allow USDA to permanently disqualify a guilty grocer, plus hit him with a hefty fine on the way out the door.
In a release, Concannon stated that "These additional measures reaffirm our ongoing commitment to ensuring these dollars are spent as intended-helping millions of people in need get back on solid economic footing."
The new regulations would require states to take "specific actions" to nail fraudsters on the front end and to make sure ineligible applicants don't get certified to receive SNAP benefits.
USDA has been doubling down on fraud detection and control in the wake of increased oversight by the Administration and Congress. Recently the Department has:
The biggest change is that the Department is moving away from an "either/or" punishment for retailers who traffic SNAP benefits. Currently, retailers found to have trafficked in benefits face disqualification from the program or a financial penalty, but not both.
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| The Food & Nutrition Service within USDA is the agency that oversees and monitors the SNAP program, formerly known as Food Stamps |
In a release, Concannon stated that "These additional measures reaffirm our ongoing commitment to ensuring these dollars are spent as intended-helping millions of people in need get back on solid economic footing."
The new regulations would require states to take "specific actions" to nail fraudsters on the front end and to make sure ineligible applicants don't get certified to receive SNAP benefits.
USDA has been doubling down on fraud detection and control in the wake of increased oversight by the Administration and Congress. Recently the Department has:
- Sent letters to popular social media sites seeking to prevent Craigslist, Ebay, Facebook and Twitter from becoming an online flea market for buying and selling SNAP benefits
- Proposed regulations that would give states the option of making a recipient contact the state agency for a new card when there have been an excessive number of new card requests on an account
- Proposed tougher rules for so-called high-risk stores trying to get approval to redeem SNAP benefits
- Worked more closely with state and other federal agencies spreading the word about program violators
USDA has also launched a "Stop SNAP Fraud" web page to provide information on reducing fraud in the program. The site includes Frequently Asked Questions about fraud, details the Department's efforts to fight fraud, and includes instructions on reporting and fighting fraud.
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