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Food Stamps: Substantial Overpayments Result From Prisoners Counted as Household Members

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date March 10, 1997
Report No. RCED-97-54
Subject
Summary:

Despite federal regulations prohibiting prisoners from receiving food stamps, GAO identified more than 12,000 inmates who were included in households receiving food stamps. These households improperly collected $3.5 million in benefits. Payments to prisoners go undetected because government agencies do not verify the information on household membership provided by food stamp applicants. Moreover, most state and local agencies responsible for running the program do not routinely collect and review lists of persons in state and local prisons to determine whether they are being counted as members of food stamp households. Because of the program's reliance on information provided by clients, computer matching of lists of prisoners and household members could detect prisoner participation. Although some states have introduced various computer matching routines, many states have yet to do so.

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