Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2014 | Page 19

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY

state administrators to decide whether or not an individual is eligible
for benefits (United States Government Accountability 2). The
administrators need to have all resources available in order to identify
fraudulent applications. One way to do this is to provide a more
effective IEVS that all states can access. There should be one system
that reports current and past employment history of every person possessing a Social Security number. The system should not be limited to
specific states or employers. This will enable SNAP administrators to
immediately verify income information for applicants and promptly
catch fraudulent employment information reported on the applications. This can save SNAP from payment errors and reduce the
number of ineligible people receiving benefits.

Overall, fraud has been and continues to be a major concern in SNAP.
The fraud rate has decreased and the implementation of systems
such as EBT has been effective in lowering the fraud rate. However,
the monetary loss is still substantial. The key is continuous process
improvement, clear policies, and aggressive prosecution of violators.
REFERENCES
Ballou, Thomas. Personal interview. 19 Feb. 2013.
Citizenship and Alien Status. 7 C.F.R. Sec. 273.4. 2007. Print.
Concannon, Kevin. “Store Food Stamp Fraud and USDA Enforcement”. FDCH Congressional Testimony. Committee on House
Oversight and Government Reform, 8 Mar. 2012. Military and
Government Collection. Web. 24 Jan. 2013.

Another preventative method is for states to require more documentation during the application process. Requiring less documentation
streamlines the process; however, it facilitates fraud. The lack of
documentation makes it more difficult to verify what is on an application, creates more opportunity for benefits to be issued improperly,
and leads to more cas