Georgia to Receive $4M from USDA for SNAP Management

Gov. Sonny Perdue announced Tuesday that the state of Georgia will receive a High Performance Bonus of $4 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its management of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program.

The average national payment error rate for FY 2008 was 5.01 percent. Georgia’s average, 2.5 percent, was less than half of the national average. Georgia was also the most improved in the country. In FY 2007, Georgia’s payment error rate was 8.13 percent.

In addition, Georgia also outperformed the nation in the negative error rate which measures whether a state correctly determines eligibility. Georgia’s negative error rate was 4.13 percent, while the national average was 10.88 percent.

In her letter announcing the High Performance Bonus, USDA Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Julia Paradis wrote to Gov. Perdue, “I personally want to commend you for your achievement and encourage you to continue your efforts to improve program integrity and the overall administration of SNAP. Proper administration of this important nutrition assistance program results in public confidence as we work together to provide services to needy Americans.”