STATEMENT FROM HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSIONER STEPHEN CHA ON SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) PAYMENT ERROR RATES RELEASED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

“USDA’s payment error rate is fundamentally flawed. We reiterate our call on Congress and the Trump Administration to eliminate or delay the SNAP cost-shift provisions tied to the payment error rate (PER). These provisions create real uncertainty for States and benefit recipients alike, and the potential for significant future costs.

“New Jersey continues to make progress in our fight on waste, fraud and abuse in SNAP. Yet, because of this flawed metric, HR1 will shift even more of the costs of SNAP to New Jerseyans. Penalizing states will do nothing to improve payment accuracy or meaningfully address waste, fraud, or abuse. Instead, they impose a significant financial and administrative burden on State and county governments, threatening our ability to effectively administer SNAP and meet the critical needs of families across New Jersey.

“These provisions also lack transparency and fail to provide states with an opportunity to appeal federal error-rate determinations before being subjected to substantial financial penalties that ultimately harm the very people we are trying to help.”

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