States are trying to reduce SNAP error rates to keep the program alive

Changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program brought about by H.R. 1 could mean millions or even billions of dollars of additional costs for states. The civic tech nonprofit Code for America is helping some states reduce their error rates, through technology and process changes, to help them reduce the benefit amount they’d be required to cover, as opposed to by federal dollars, after the Donald Trump administration’s sweeping changes. Rebecca Piazza, executive director of safety net strategy at Code for America, says the expanded work reporting requirements and financial restructuring of the program is putting “a lot more strain on programs and program staff” in the states. “We’re really encouraging states to use data to prioritize where they should be focusing,” she says. “What are the areas of highest impact of bringing down that error rate?” AI and other automation technologies can help, she says, by spotting blurry documents, extracting data from uploaded images of pay stubs or combining multiple applications mistakenly submitted by the same person. This is critical work, she says, because states that aren’t able to reduce their SNAP error rates and lower the benefit amounts they’re required to cover, could put their program “at risk” — for states, SNAP participation is not mandatory.


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Each Wednesday, StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast explores the latest in state and local government technology news and analysis. Listen to in-depth conversations with government and industry’s top executives, and learn about trending stories affecting state and local IT leaders ranging from modernization and digital accessibility to the latest advances in generative artificial intelligence. https://statescoop.com/show/priorities/