WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service today announced the release of the National Accuracy Clearinghouse Interim Final Rule, the first step toward leveraging an innovative new tool to promote customer service and prevent duplicate participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP.
Under the interim final rule, all state agencies will be required to work toward implementing the NAC system, a technology-based solution designed to prevent individuals from receiving SNAP benefits in more than one state at the same time. While the system will catch and prevent fraudulent and unintentional dual participation, it will also result in a more seamless experience for participants who move from state to state and need to disenroll in one state to apply in another.
“USDA is committed to harnessing technology to strengthen program integrity as well as to ensure program participants can access nutrition assistance with greater ease, equity, dignity, and security,” said Stacy Dean, USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. “By standardizing procedures and rolling out the NAC system nationwide, USDA is adapting a tech-forward approach to advancing SNAP administration and will work hand in hand with states to ensure successful implementation.”
Duplicate participation occurs most often when people move from one state to another and forget to notify their SNAP state agency or when the state agency doesn’t properly process the notification. This rule requires states to communicate with each other if they identify duplicate participation matches and take swift and appropriate action on the case. This will help end participants’ benefits in the original state so the new state can open the case, initiate benefits, and ensure seamless access to the nutrition assistance participants rely on. It also helps prevent rare but egregious instances of individuals attempting to steal from SNAP by intentionally enrolling in multiple states.
While resolving duplicate participation is already a requirement, the NAC system and the processes laid out in the rule will significantly improve how this is done, advancing both customer service and program integrity. The rule is based on lessons learned from a previous pilot project, and the expected savings from reducing duplicate participation is $463 million over 5 years.
Publishing this rule is the first step toward nationwide implementation of the NAC: FNS is working – and will continue to work – closely with state agencies to provide the necessary training, tools, and technical assistance for states to adjust their business practices and successfully use the system to identify and resolve instances of duplicate participation.
As part of the ongoing effort to stand up the NAC system, FNS recently awarded the NAC Help Desk contract to ITCON Services. This contractor will serve as the primary point of contact for NAC system users who need help desk support and will take the lead on developing and maintaining user documents and communicating information about the NAC system to users. The help desk contractor will work side-by-side with the system development vendor team to ensure that users have a seamless experience obtaining support.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service leverages its 15 nutrition assistance programs to ensure that children, low-income individuals, and families have opportunities for a better future through equitable access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food, while building a more resilient food system. Under the leadership of Secretary Tom Vilsack, FNS is fighting to end food and nutrition insecurity for all through programs such as SNAP, school meals, and WIC. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To learn more, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.