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Resource | Research and Data | Payment Accuracy and Program Integrity Feasibility of Revising the SNAP Quality Control Review Process

FNA uses a two-tier system to measure errors in eligibility and benefit determination for SNAP. This feasibility study identifies all processes and components that would be required for a one-tier federal SNAP QC system, including the procedural, staffing, and organizational changes and the technological and data-sharing infrastructures.

12/19/2019
Resource | Research and Data | Benefit Content/Cost Exploring the Causes of State Variation in SNAP Administrative Costs

The Federal Government fully funds SNAP benefits, but FNA and state agencies share administrative expenses, with each paying about 50 percent. State administrative costs per case varies widely by state. This study explores a number of factors, including state economic conditions, SNAP caseload characteristics, state SNAP policies, to try to explain the variation by state.

06/26/2019
Resource | Research and Data | Demonstrations Annual Reports on Summer Food for Children Demonstration Projects

These reports fulfill the directive contained in section 749(g) of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010 (PL 111-80) for USDA to submit an annual report to Congress detailing progress in developing and testing alternative methods of providing access to food for low-income children in urban and rural areas during the summer months when schools are not in regular session.

05/09/2019
Resource | Research and Data | Cost Study Expenditures on Children by Families

Expenditures on Children by Families provides estimates of the cost of raising children from birth through age 17 for major budgetary components. The most recent version of the report was published in 2017 and estimates the cost of raising children born in 2015. Currently, USDA is evaluating the methods used to inform this report to ensure they reflect best practices in the field.

03/26/2019
Resource | Research and Data | General/Other Identifying Program Components and Practices that Influence SNAP Application Processing Timeliness Rates

This study sought to better understand the root causes of SNAP application timeliness concerns. A comprehensive in-depth study of program components and practices adopted by the 50 states and the District of Columbia to process SNAP applications was conducted. 

02/26/2019
Resource | Research and Data | Assessing/Improving Operations CACFP Sponsor Tiering Determination Aging Study, 2015 - 2020

This report describes the feasibility of a modeling approach to forecast tiering error rates based on prior data, in lieu of annual assessments of misclassified FDCHs. It presents estimates for forecasted rates and associated improper payments for FDCHs for each fiscal year (FY) from 2016 to 2020. Due to data limitations, the report concludes that building a reliable model is not possible with the currently available data and estimates produced by the models cannot be used for IPERIA reporting.

02/26/2019
Resource | Research and Data | Payment Accuracy and Program Integrity Regional Office Review of Application For School Meals 2009

This is the fifth in a series of annual reports that examines administrative error incurred during the local educational agency’s (LEA) approval process of applications for free and reduced-price meals in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

11/12/2010
Resource | Research and Data | Payment Accuracy and Program Integrity Direct Certification in the NSLP: State Progress in Implementation Report to Congress

This report responds to the legislative requirement of PL 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of state and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals. Under direct certification, children are determined eligible for free school meals without the need for household applications by using data from other means-tested programs.

11/01/2010
Resource | Research and Data | Payment Accuracy and Program Integrity CACFP Assessment of Sponsor Tiering Determinations 2009

The Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 requires all federal agencies to calculate the amount of erroneous payments in federal programs and to periodically conduct detailed assessments of vulnerable program components. 

06/30/2010
Resource | Research and Data | Payment Accuracy and Program Integrity CACFP Assessment of Sponsor Tiering Determinations 2008

The Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 requires all federal agencies to calculate the amount of erroneous payments in federal programs and to periodically conduct detailed assessments of vulnerable program components. This is the fourth wave of a program assessment of the family day care homes in the Department of Agriculture's CACFP.

03/25/2010
Page updated: June 02, 2026