https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/07/02/dc-snap-penalty/
" D.C. is facing a $4.4 million penalty from the federal government due to persistent errors in processing critical food assistance benefits that thousands of Washingtonians rely on, once again putting in sharp focus the challenges the District has had in responding to high demand for public benefits.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture notified D.C. officials in a letter Friday that it was issuing the fine because for the second consecutive year, the District far exceeded what federal officials consider an acceptable error rate in processing benefits in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In 20 percent of cases, D.C. overpaid or underpaid benefits to SNAP recipients, according to USDA data, placing it among the worst-performing states or territories nationwide. USDA assesses a penalty if the payment error rate exceeds 6 percent, and a national performance standard, for two years in a row."
" SNAP has been in the spotlight over the past year, particularly as the council has fought to enhance benefits for the roughly 140,000 families who rely on them, leading to clashes with Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D). Zeilinger and Turnage described an overburdened system and staff who struggle to respond to the demand in a timely fashion, requiring vast overtime and Saturday shifts for a team playing catch-up on the paperwork. The Department of Human Services saw a 40 percent increase in demand for benefits during the pandemic, Zeilinger said. As of 2022, D.C. had the slowest processing rate for SNAP applications in the nation, though Zeilinger also described improvements the agency has made since last year in timeliness."
///
Bottom line: the District has about 600,000 residents.
About 300,000 are on some federal welfare program, including subsidized nutrition or housing.
This is in a land area of 68 square miles (but subtract 7 square miles of water).
The city spent about $600 million on a data system which doesn't work well, and they cannot figure out why.
And DC receives about $7 billion annually from the Feds for operations and welfare services. DC believes a 20% error rate in processing SNAP benefits is acceptable.
" D.C. is facing a $4.4 million penalty from the federal government due to persistent errors in processing critical food assistance benefits that thousands of Washingtonians rely on, once again putting in sharp focus the challenges the District has had in responding to high demand for public benefits.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture notified D.C. officials in a letter Friday that it was issuing the fine because for the second consecutive year, the District far exceeded what federal officials consider an acceptable error rate in processing benefits in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In 20 percent of cases, D.C. overpaid or underpaid benefits to SNAP recipients, according to USDA data, placing it among the worst-performing states or territories nationwide. USDA assesses a penalty if the payment error rate exceeds 6 percent, and a national performance standard, for two years in a row."
" SNAP has been in the spotlight over the past year, particularly as the council has fought to enhance benefits for the roughly 140,000 families who rely on them, leading to clashes with Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D). Zeilinger and Turnage described an overburdened system and staff who struggle to respond to the demand in a timely fashion, requiring vast overtime and Saturday shifts for a team playing catch-up on the paperwork. The Department of Human Services saw a 40 percent increase in demand for benefits during the pandemic, Zeilinger said. As of 2022, D.C. had the slowest processing rate for SNAP applications in the nation, though Zeilinger also described improvements the agency has made since last year in timeliness."
///
Bottom line: the District has about 600,000 residents.
About 300,000 are on some federal welfare program, including subsidized nutrition or housing.
This is in a land area of 68 square miles (but subtract 7 square miles of water).
The city spent about $600 million on a data system which doesn't work well, and they cannot figure out why.
And DC receives about $7 billion annually from the Feds for operations and welfare services. DC believes a 20% error rate in processing SNAP benefits is acceptable.
“If you’re going to have crime it should at least be organized crime”
-Havelock Vetinari
-Havelock Vetinari
