The Star Tribune loves stories of what it deems to be achievements by state and local government, but so far it seems to have overlooked the news of Minnesota’s $1.2 million bonus award for achievement in enrolling beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. Our friend Tom Steward explores the Minnesota angle of the food-stamps story that lies somewhere near the heart of the Age of Obama:
Congratulations, Minnesota, on only misdirecting $38 million in payments last year for the exploding food stamp program, which added 51,000 to its rolls in the Gopher State.
Minnesota earned a $1.2 million bonus for being one of the top states in enrolling new beneficiaries.
That’s the amount the state got from the U. S. Department of Agriculture for enrolling thousands more residents to the rolls, despite having a 5 percent error rate.Recently released USDA statistics show Minnesota logged one of the highest payment error rates in the country, ranking 40th for mistakes in 2012 in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services Quality Control Section reports error findings to the USDA monthly to “ensure SNAP participants receive the correct benefits, and to help preserve public confidence in the program.”
Minnesota DHS officials did not provide a response to inquiries from Watchdog Minnesota at the time of this posting.
Tom also logs the explosion in participation in the program along with much more at the link.
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