Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 2, 2000
Contact:  John Atherton, DSHS, 360-413-3200
Alt Contact:  Gordon Schultz, DSHS, 360-902-7892

DSHS greatly improves food stamp accuracy rate

OLYMPIA -Washington's payment accuracy rate for food stamps improved dramatically and was better than the national average rate for last year, Gov. Gary Locke announced today.

The state's accuracy rate of 91.45 percent surpassed the national average rate of 90.12 percent as compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the last federal fiscal. Washington ranked 18th among the 50 states last year, compared with 47th in 1998.

"Washington's record is much improved, and that's great news," Locke said. "We have improved and streamlined our processes, and the result is better overall service to our customers and more accuracy in payments."

To beat the national average, DSHS financial services workers successfully increased the estimated accuracy rate from 84.42 percent in 1998 to 91.45 percent in 1999. The average accuracy rate for all states in 1999 was 90.12 percent.

USDA Regional Administrator Allen Ng said Washington's improved accuracy rate was a significant accomplishment. He presented the department with a citation "for achieving the largest percentage point increase in one year in their Food Stamp Program payment accuracy rate of any state in nearly two decades."

By boosting the state's accuracy rate above the national average, Washington also avoided $3.8 million of financial penalties that could have been imposed when the state's accuracy rate was well below the national average.

Lyle Quasim, secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services, and Liz Dunbar, assistant secretary for economic services, said credit for the turnaround goes to DSHS financial services employees who worked diligently to see that thousands of eligible recipients received the correct amount of benefits in a timely manner.

Food stamps are financed by the USDA entirely with federal funds. DSHS administers the program through more than 64 local community service offices in each county.

An average of 154,650 eligible families received about $20 million each month in food stamp payments in 1999.

Last year the program also successfully switched from paper coupons to an electronic benefit payment system where recipients use plastic cards similar to debit or credit cards to access their benefits at retail checkout terminals.

» Return to this month's News Releases

» View News Release Archive