Background
The Food Stamp Act of 1964, which established the original federal framework for food assistance, did not include a formal or comprehensive quality control system. In the early 1980s, the current system for measuring Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payment errors was established, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issuing error rates annually.
Today, the USDA employs a two-tiered quality control system to monitor SNAP eligibility and benefit accuracy. Under this system, states and the federal government collaboratively review SNAP cases. In Kansas, the Department for Children and Families (DCF) conducts monthly reviews of a sample of cases. The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) then re-examines a subset of those cases to verify state accuracy by conducting interviews with selected participants and requesting additional documentation.
As a result of this quality control process, the USDA publishes four efficiency and effectiveness measures based on collected data.
Application Processing Timeliness Rate
The application processing timeliness (APT) rate measures how efficiently eligible applicants receive benefits on time. The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 considers timeliness to be when all eligible households receive SNAP benefits within 30 days of application or within 7 days for those eligible for expedited service. The APT rate is calculated by dividing the number of SNAP applications timely approved by the total number of applications approved within that time frame.
Case and Procedural Error Rate
The case and procedural error rate (CAPER) reflects both the accuracy of the state agency’s determination and its compliance with federal procedural requirements around the determination. A case and procedural error occurs when a state takes one or more inaccurate or procedurally incorrect actions when denying, terminating, or suspending a household’s SNAP benefits. The rate indicates that a decision was inaccurate; the notice provided to the household was inaccurate, unclear, or insufficient; the notice provided to the household was untimely; and/or the procedures followed related to these decisions were inaccurate or untimely. The national rate is a weighted average of individual state rates, with the weighting based on a state’s proportion of total SNAP benefit issuance.
Program Access Index
The program access index (PAI) measure is designed to indicate the degree to which low-income people have access to SNAP benefits. It is not the participation rate, where the denominator is the number of people eligible. The PAI was designed to meet the federal requirements of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (also known as the 2002 Farm Bill), which established performance bonus payments to states with the highest PAI and the states with the most improved performance for program participation. A precise participation rate cannot be used to evaluate performance because of timing. Part of the federal requirement was that an award must be paid by the end of the fiscal year following the calendar year of performance.
To calculate the calendar year participation rate, an accurate estimate of people eligible for SNAP benefits is needed. This number is calculated by the American Community Survey and is on a one–to-two-year delay. Therefore, a true participation rate cannot be calculated to meet the federal timing requirement. For this reason, the designed PAI uses the federal poverty line for the given performance year rather than the number of eligible people.
Payment Error Rate
The payment error rate measures how accurately a state agency determined SNAP eligibility and benefit amounts for those who participate in SNAP. This rate can be displayed to show overpayments, underpayments, and as an aggregate rate. A lower rate is preferred. The national payment error rate is calculated as a weighted average of all individual state payment error rates, with weighting determined by a state’s proportion of total SNAP benefit issuance.
Click or tap to enlarge the following charts to see data on SNAP applications and payments.
Impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Section 10105 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act amends Section 4(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (FNA) to establish state cost-sharing requirements for the SNAP benefit issuance, beginning federal fiscal year (FFY) 2028. Beginning in FFY 2028, the state share of SNAP benefit costs will be based on the state’s SNAP payment error rate, which includes the following cost-sharing structure:
| Payment Error Rate | State Share | Federal Share |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 6.0% | 0.00% | 100.00% |
| 6.0% to less than 8.0% | 5.00% | 95.00% |
| 8.9% to less than 10.0% | 10.00% | 90.00% |
| 10.0% or greater | 15.00% | 85.00% |
In FFY 2028, states may elect to use their payment error rate from FFY 2025 or FFY 2026 to determine their required cost-share. Beginning in FFY 2029, the applicable rate will be based on the state’s payment error rate from the three fiscal years prior.
States with very high error rates may have the cost-sharing requirement delayed. States may qualify for a delay if their error rate meets either of the following criteria:
- A fiscal year’s payment error rate is equal to or greater than 20.0 percent when multiplied by 1.5; or
- A two-year average of a state’s payment error rate is equal to or greater than 20.0 percent when multiplied by 1.5.
These provisions may affect Kansas, depending on the state’s SNAP payment error rate in the years used to calculate the required state match. The 2024 Kansas SNAP aggregate error rate is 9.98 percent as published by the USDA. DCF estimated the first quarter of 2025 error rate to be calculated at 9.47 percent. Based on the 2024 rate, Kansas would have been required to contribute a 10.0 percent state match under the proposed framework, equivalent to approximately $40.8 million in benefit costs.
By Amanda Prosser and Iraida Orr.
See Health and Social Services for more.
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