Hungry for accountability: Fixing fraud in food stamps

The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, formerly known as the food stamp program, is once again becoming a battleground for fiscal conservatives, welfare reformers, big-government advocates, and the food police. As Congress begins the process of reauthorization of the next Farm Bill, the skirmishes will become more intense, since SNAP makes up 80 percent of the total cost of the legislation.

There are several issues that need to be addressed, starting with the bureaucratic nightmare of administering and overseeing the program. The Government Accountability Office has repeatedly highlighted lax oversight systems, caused in part by the dual jurisdiction over the program. The federal government funds SNAP, but the program is run by states and sometimes counties.
Over the years, as states’ budgets have tightened, the Department of Agriculture has permitted 42 of them to bypass income and asset verification tests by using a broad-based categorical eligibility waiver. The waiver enables any SNAP applicant who is already receiving even nominal benefits through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program or the Supplemental Security Income cash assistance program to qualify for food stamps.


http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/hungry-for-accountability-fixing-fraud-in-food-stamps/article/2643921