Who Are Quality Control Reviewers and Why Do They Review SNAP Cases?
SNAP quality control is a process for reviewing benefits SNAP participants receive, and a review of cases in which SNAP applicants/recipients were denied, terminated, or suspended from receiving benefits. These are known as SNAP cases.
SNAP quality control reviews are done:
- To make sure you are receiving the correct benefits; and
- To verify that the decision to deny, terminate, or suspend a household from SNAP was correct.
Each month, the state agency quality control (QC) staff reviews a sample of SNAP cases. If you were contacted by state agency QC staff, then your SNAP case was chosen at random for a quality control review.
The SNAP Quality Control Process
Step One: Random Case Sample and SNAP Case Review
Each month, state agencies randomly select SNAP cases for review, ensuring a fair representation of program participants. If your SNAP case was chosen for a QC review, you will be contacted by the state agency to start the quality control process.
Step Two: Field Review
State agency staff, known as QC reviewers, will do interviews with selected participants to gather important information. During this phase, they will request documents, such as proof of household income, expenses, resources, and details about individuals living in your home. They may also contact people outside of your home to verify information you’ve given them. This comprehensive approach aims to ensure the accuracy of the benefit decision on your case.
Step Three: Case Analysis
State Review: The QC reviewer analyzes all the information collected from the field review. Then they determine if the state agency issued the correct SNAP benefit amount.
Federal Review: The Food and Nutrition Service reviews a smaller random sample of each state’s QC cases. The FNS reviewer may contact you or people outside of the home to verify or gather additional details. This review is done to study the accuracy of the state’s QC review.
Step Four: Payment Accuracy
The results of SNAP QC reviews help FNS determine if state agencies are running the SNAP program correctly and providing participants with the correct SNAP benefit amount. The information collected from SNAP QC reviews is also used to improve SNAP. For more information on how SNAP QC reviews are used for program improvement, visit SNAP Quality Control.
Your Role in the SNAP Quality Control Review
SNAP participants selected for review play an important role in the QC process by participating in interviews and providing requested documents for verification in a timely manner.
By working with state agency and federal QC staff, you contribute to the accuracy and fairness of the program, ensuring that the correct amount of SNAP benefits reach those who need them most. This is very important. If you do not cooperate with the QC review, your SNAP case will be closed.
FAQs
By law, state agencies must correct errors in SNAP benefits that are found during QC reviews. If a review finds that you received an overpayment, you generally must pay the benefits back to the state. If a review finds that you received an underpayment, the state must provide you additional benefits.
No. QC reviews determine:
- If you received the correct SNAP benefit amount; and
- If a state decision to deny, terminate, or suspended you from receiving SNAP benefits was accurate.
SNAP Quality Control Definitions
Overpayments: The amount of SNAP benefits that you received was more than the amount you were eligible to receive.
Underpayments: The amount of SNAP benefits that you received was less than the amount you were eligible to receive.
Quality Control Review: A review done to find out whether you received the correct SNAP benefit amount, or whether the process and decisions to deny, terminate, or suspend you from SNAP were correct.
State QC Reviewer: The state agency’s employee who does the QC review.