SNAP Safeguards Questioned

(KNSI) – In an effort to make life a little easier during the COVID era, safeguards and restrictions on many forms of government assistance were relaxed. In an era of increased awareness of fraud, some would like to see those more strict pre-COVID measures returned.

State Representative Kristin Robbins of Maple Grove, chair of the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, is seeking answers from state and federal officials as to why Minnesota was granted an extension of a COVID-era waiver that eliminates a benefit eligibility safeguard within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture approved Minnesota’s request for a SNAP Telephonic Signature Waiver. This allows eligibility workers to accept verbal signatures on SNAP applications, renewals, and recertification forms without creating an audio recording of the household’s attestation.

Robbins worries, ‘“Without a recording, there is no way to confirm the call actually took place, the identity of the person who placed the call, and the number from which the call was made.” With recent documented fraud cases involving SNAP, she is calling for more oversight. Robbins said she understands the goal of reducing administrative burdens and delays for eligible households, but she questioned why the state would want to waive the recording requirement and why it would want to continue this waiver through 2028, well after the end of the COVID emergency. She is asking the USDA to consider a comprehensive review of this and other SNAP waivers.

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