FNS Awards $424,388 to Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to Improve Fraud Prevention, Detection in SNAP

Contact: Mountain Plains Regional Press
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DENVER, CO, 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."

USDA awarded the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services $424,388 for the state's proposal to implement technology improvements to increase program integrity by tracking and identifying recipient fraud, along with streamlining the reporting of SNAP investigations and dispositions. These activities include:

• Developing a model to capture internet protocol (IP) addresses and analyze for duplicate participation and out of state residency.
• Utilizing existing staff and the eligibility system vendor to capture additional recipient user data stored in Montana's Self-Service Portal for on-line submissions.

"We applaud Montana on this commitment to program integrity," said Mario Ramos, Food and Nutrition Service Acting Regional Administrator. "SNAP is a cornerstone of the USDA nutrition assistance programs, and this grant award enables Montana to further strengthen its program through innovative efforts to prevent and detect fraud. USDA is committed to improving efforts to combat fraud and to supporting states in the delivery of these critical nutrition assistance benefits."

Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services is one of 10 states awarded a SNAP Fraud Framework Implementation Grant this year. Additional grants are being awarded to:

• Florida Department of Children and Families
• Illinois Department of Human Services
• Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
• Maine Department of Health and Human Services
• Michigan Health and Human Health Services
• Minnesota Department of Human Services
• Mississippi Department of Human Services
• Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• West Virginia Department of Human Services

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:

• Use media campaigns to educate recipients about the security of their EBT cards.
• Establish trainings for county offices to proactively prevent and recognize fraud during the application stages.
• Implement new features in EBT technology to protect against SNAP benefit theft through card skimming, card cloning and other similar methods.

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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