Program Integrity for Nutrition Assistance Programs

What is Program Integrity?

Improving stewardship of Federal money by reducing recipient fraud, reducing retailer fraud, ensuring accurate eligibility determinations, and reducing improper payments.

Click on any state to Report Nutrition Assistance Fraud in that location.

[Complete List of States Here]

United States of America

Report Suspicious Nutrition Assistance Fraud (including Retailer Fraud) to the USDA Office of the Inspector General
Call:
(800) 424-9121
(202) 690-1622
(202) 690-1202 (TDD)

Write:
United States Department of Agriculture
Office of Inspector General
PO Box 23399
Washington, DC 20026-3399

Online:
Website -  http://www.usda.gov/oig/hotline.htm
Electronic Mail -  usda_hotline@oig.usda.gov

 

Agency Program Integrity Goals

  • Improve Integrity In The Nutrition Assistance Programs

  • Maintain Public Confidence And Exercise Good Stewardship Of Federal Funds By Reducing Improper Payments

Promoting access to nutrition assistance programs – programs that have never been more urgently needed than they are today – goes hand-in-hand with managing them in a manner that ensures public confidence and maximizes the impact of the Federal investment.  Americans expect and deserve a government that ensures wise management of the public investment in nutrition assistance is managed wisely.  Without that, we risk undermining public confidence in their value.  Furthermore, strong management ensures that those most in need of nutrition assistance receive it, and that scarce resources are not wasted by error or abuse.

FNS uses all available opportunities, including new communication and eGovernment technologies, to promote secure and efficient program delivery hand-in-hand with strong customer service.

SNAP Payment Accuracy

SNAP is the Nations' largest nutrition assistance program and first line of defense against hunger and poor nutrition. It is essential that the program operate with accuracy and integrity so that only eligible people recieve benefits. While SNAP is already achieving record level payment accuracy, the size of the program means that even small additional reductions can yield substantial savings. USDA leadership has worked closely with State agency leadership on the importance of improving payment accuracy.

 

In FY 2013, we will:

  • Improve monitoring and action against SNAP client integrity threats by publishing and implementing final rules on SNAP retailer sanctions, immediate payment suspension, trafficking controls and fraud investigations; and improving focus on high risk stores, improvements to retailer management systems, and training.
  • Modernize oversight of authorized SNAP retailers and centralize business processes by completing implementation of the retailer management modernization initiative.
  • Improve monitoring and action against SNAP retailer integrity threats by completing the retailer management modernization initiative; publishing and implementing final rules on SNAP retailer sanctions, immediate payment suspension, trafficking controls and fraud investigations; and improving focus on high risk stores, improvements to retailer management systems, and training.
  • Increase State investment in program integrity with guidance encouraging States to reinvest IPV collections and SNAP performance bonuses in improved program performance.
  • Optimize SNAP’s ability to support and connect recipients.
  • Improve strategies to reduce improper payments in the school meal programs, including updated measure of the cost of improper payments, and exploration of an administrative review “Strike Force” and school meals State exchange program, and publication of final rules on independent review of school meal applications, and fines and disqualifications.
  • Focus federal oversight in WIC on  vendor management, including a commitment to complete a management evaluation focused on vendor management in each State by the end of FY 2014.
  • Ensure continued financial integrity by conducting 95% of required financial management and program reviews, implement web-based Treasury administrative payment pilot, maintain unqualified financial statements opinion , and completing Lean Six Sigma project on SNAP retailer debt collection.