Food Stamp Overpayments: Thousands of Deceased Individuals Are Being Counted as Household Members
RCED-98-53
Published: Feb 11, 1998. Publicly Released: Mar 10, 1998.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Food Stamp Program, focusing on: (1) how many deceased individuals were included as members of households that received food stamp benefits and the estimated value of improper benefits that were issued to the households; (2) how these individuals could be included without being detected; and (3) whether computer matching or other methods could effectively identify such individuals.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| In order to ensure the integrity of the Food Stamp Program by preventing deceased individuals from being counted as household members, Congress should enact legislation to enable SSA to disclose all information from its Death Master File to the states administering the Food Stamp Program. |
Closed – Implemented
|
On November 12, 1998, the President signed P.L. 105-379, amending the Food Stamp Act of 1977, to require each state agency to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Commissioner of Social Security to obtain information on deceased individuals and use the information to ensure that benefits are not issued to deceased individuals. The recommendation, if enacted would allow SSA to act unilaterally in releasing data on deceased individuals obtained from states. The congressional action taken requires cooperation between SSA and the states and does not allow SSA to act unilaterally. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Agriculture | Until Congress enacts legislation to enable SSA to disclose all information from its Death Master File to the states administering the Food Stamp Program, the Secretary of Agriculture should work with the Commissioner of Social Security to encourage the states to voluntarily allow such disclosures. |
Closed – Implemented
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and SSA officials have held a number of meetings aimed at using SSA death master file data to identify and remove ineligible individuals from the food stamp roles. In its response to Congress on planned actions on the recommendation, FNS wrote that it is sending a letter to all the states to encourage them to use death records to remove deceased individuals from the food stamp rolls.
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| Department of Agriculture | The Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Food and Nutrition Service to emphasize to the states the need to identify deceased individuals and remove them from the rolls of food stamp households. |
Closed – Implemented
FNS provided its Regional Food Program Directors a copy of the report to apprise them of its findings. FNS also sent copies of the report to state food stamp program administrators and has sponsored and participated in a number of conferences in which the report findings were discussed and states were encouraged to take action to identify and remove deceased individuals from the food stamp rolls.
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Topics
Computer matchingErroneous paymentsstate relationsFood relief programsProgram abusesSocial security benefitsSocial security numberState-administered programsVital recordsWelfare benefitsDeceased persons