09/25/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/25/2024 11:50
Contact: Midwest Region Public Affairs
[email protected]
CHICAGO, IL, September 25, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service today awarded Michigan a SNAP Fraud Framework Implementation Grant. This investment will help the state improve and expand recipient fraud prevention, detection and investigation efforts using the procedures, ideas and practices outlined in the SNAP Fraud Framework, a toolkit designed to help states prevent and detect fraud and sharpen their investigative techniques.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, has zero tolerance for fraud and USDA continues to work with its state partners to implement measures to improve program integrity. While most eligible recipients use their benefits as intended, there are some who violate program rules. SNAP participants have also been targets of benefit theft through EBT card skimming and card cloning.
"USDA and the Biden-Harris administration remain unwavering in their dedication to strengthening SNAP, protecting vulnerable households, and combating fraud," said Cindy Long, Deputy Under Secretary for USDA Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. "These awards are critical to providing states the resources they need to deliver program benefits in a manner that best meets the needs of the people they serve while maximizing program integrity."
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) proposes to acquire and install an end-to-end data analytics platform to help identify skimmers using enhanced modeling capabilities. This will allow OIG to explore available data, identify new trends and pursue the development of advanced predictive modeling. Their specific activities include:
"These projects are designed to create a more robust and efficient system for preventing and addressing fraud within SNAP, ultimately ensuring that benefits reach those who truly need them." said Dr. Vista Suarez Fletcher, Midwest Regional Administrator at the Food and Nutrition Service.
MDHHS is one of 10 states awarded a SNAP Fraud Framework Implementation Grant this year. Additional grants are being awarded to:
Each state will use the grant funds to support new fraud prevention projects that fall under any of the seven components of the SNAP Fraud Framework: organizational management, performance measurement, recipient integrity education, fraud detection, investigations and dispositions, analytics and data management, and learning and development.
"Michigan is committed to helping families put food on the table," said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. "Supported by our Office of Inspector General, MDHHS seeks to stay ahead of the everchanging landscape of fraudulent activities to ensure no family goes hungry due to stolen benefits."
Grantees will use funds in a variety of ways. For example, states may:
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS's report, "Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service," highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris administration's National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.
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