State officials are considering whether to bring in outside help to reduce an error rate that could carry a stiff price tag due to a provision in the tax reconciliation bill approved by Congress in July. “For the first time ever, the [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] error rate will determine how much a state contributes to the cost of SNAP benefits — previously those benefits were 100% federally funded. The Congressional Republicans’ Budget Reconciliation Bill cuts federal funding to states for SNAP and requires states to pay for a portion of the cost of benefits based on its SNAP error rate if the rate is above six percent,” Ali Fogarty, a Department of Human Services spokeswoman, said in an email.
