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1:49 PM

Reducing Recipient Fraud in the SNAP (formerly Food Stamp) Program

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The Federal Government Is Funding Implementation of an Effort to Reduce Recipient Fraud in the SNAP (formerly Food Stamp) Program

The Agriculture Department, which administers the SNAP Program, announced this month the availability of a grant program for states. The purpose of the grants is to fund participation in the SNAP Fraud Framework Implementation.

The grants will financially support states in their efforts to combat fraud initiated by recipients of SNAP benefits.

This combat includes fraud prevention, detection, and investigation using procedures, ideas, and practices outlined in the federal SNAP Fraud Framework.

Applicant states will be successful in applying for the grants if their applications include one or more of the procedures, ideas and practices specified in the federal framework.

The purpose of the program is to improve state response to recipient fraud in the SNAP program by using the 7 components that comprise the SNAP Fraud Framework.
11:11 AM

Adding value for SNAP shoppers

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Adding value for SNAP shoppers
Search the Internet for apps related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (also known as SNAP and formerly known as food stamps) and you are likely to find any number of them where as recently as five years ago you might have found none.

Some of these apps may give the impression that they are part of the SNAP program. Others are clear that their purpose is to add value to the shopping experience without giving any such impressions. One such app is Snap2Save, a mobile loyalty app vended by Colorado-based digital customer engagement developer Green Piranhas.

Green Piranhas has worked with food retailer Save-A-Lot to make Snap2Save usable at a number of Save-A-Lot store brands.

Since the inception of EBT technology in the 1980s, the typical EBT technology matrix has consisted of the federal Agriculture Department paying for the SNAP food purchased by eligible program beneficiaries and also providing technical guidance to the states as well as authorizing food retailers to participate in SNAP,  state agencies that administer the program on a state level and a technology company known as an EBT processor that accepts eligibility data from the state agency and manages the flow of EBT transactions that initiate at food retail companies that are authorized to sell SNAP food to SNAP customers. The authorized food retailers are the last part of the traditional EBT matrix.

Value-added apps outside of this matrix like Snap2Save add a new dimension to the delivery of SNAP benefits. These apps could be provided by the EBT processors or as in the case of Snap2Save by a third party operating outside of the traditional EBT matrix.

 Snap2Save enables users to earn and redeem loyalty points at participating Save-A-Lot food stores, through S2S’s Healthy Food Rewards program which encourages healthier food choices at the grocery store.

However, Snap2Save also enables users to do so much more, including checking their EBT balances, obtaining health and wellness incentives for purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables, being able to view healthy recipe videos.

And Snap2Save allows users the chance to receive special offers and win prizes.

According to developer Green Piranhas, Snap2Save is the next generation of such apps because it combines digital loyalty with a health and wellness focus that allows consumers to both save money and live better.

Sam Jonas, CEO of Green Piranhas, says that Snap2Save’s Healthy Food Rewards, with its combination of financial incentives and emphasis on health and wellness, is the type of program that appeals to shoppers on a budget.

Snap2Save is available for both iOS and Android devices.

In the interest of full disclosure, Snap2Save is a client of Chaddsford Planning Associates.