AUBURN, Wash. — Federal officials have suggested that all SNAP recipients may need to reapply for their benefits in the future, raising concern among recipients and some food banks.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Thursday on Newsmax that the administration wants to “fundamentally rebuild” the SNAP program, and have “everyone reapply for their benefit” to curb what she described as widespread fraud.
No details or timeline were provided about a potential reapplication process.
“It’s harder to apply for DSHS food stamps than it is to go get a bank loan,” said Debbie Christian, Executive Director of the Auburn Food Bank.
Food banks, like the Auburn Food Bank, are worried that requiring SNAP recipients to reapply could lead to lapses in coverage, ultimately resulting in increased demand at a time when they are already struggling to keep up.
Christian noted that the number of people coming to the food bank has increased, with 230 to 250 people being a normal day the last few weeks, compared to 175 to 185 previously.
SNAP recipients like Troy Delaney have expressed concerns about the reapplication process, noting the time and effort it takes to reapply for benefits.
“That means a lot of time sitting down DSHS trying to reapply,” he said. “And then are you going to get food stamps again?”
“It took like a month for me to be enrolled with DSHS and get my benefits,” recipient Marcella Faulk said.
KIRO 7 asked USDA for additional details, including when a reapplication could be required and what recipients need to know.
“Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends,” a spokesperson for the department wrote. “Rates of fraud were only previously assumed, and President Trump is doing something about it. Using standard recertification processes for households is a part of that work. As well as ongoing analysis of State data, further regulatory work, and improved collaboration with States.”
Those standard recertifications are a normal part of receiving benefits, typically requiring people to submit information for reviews of their benefits every six or twelve months.
KIRO 7 asked the USDA to clarify whether they plan to curb fraud with those recertifications alone, or are actually going to make everyone reapply from scratch. We have not received a response.
The State of Washington says cases of fraud regarding SNAP benefits are “very rare, especially when compared to the size of our caseload.”
A report to Congress reiterated that earlier this year, noting, “SNAP fraud is rare, according to available data and reports, but there is no single data point that reflects all the forms of fraud in SNAP.”
Separate from fraud, Washington officials say there may be payment errors in the SNAP program, and WA’s most recent official error rate is 6.06%.
These are largely unintentional, according to state officials, and may be on the part of the state agency or the SNAP household. These errors can occur when the state agency incorrectly calculates a household’s expenses, for example, or if a client forgets to provide the state with an update on their income.
Outside of fraud, state officials told KIRO 7 they have seen a rise in the number of people using illegal phishing and skimming schemes to drain customers’ EBT cards.
Washington also confirmed to KIRO 7 it had secured an order granting a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking USDA’s demand that states turn over personal and sensitive information about millions of SNAP recipients.
To help food banks with mounting demand, you can donate food or money.
For more information about helping the Auburn Food Bank, click here.
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