Pennsylvania’s Welfare Error Rate Is High. But New Numbers Provide Hope.

Originally published by Broad + Liberty.

Pennsylvania is wasting millions of dollars on overpayments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. If nothing changes, the state faces hefty penalties next year. But Pennsylvania can do more to stop the waste without harming those who depend on SNAP. 

For more than a year, Pennsylvania has not only overpaid SNAP recipients but also refused efforts to shed light on these overpayments. For more than a year, the commonwealth has stonewalled all federal requests for data, even though the federal government shoulders most of SNAP’s cost. Now, Pennsylvania faces a federal lawsuit due to this refusal.

But the commonwealth should welcome help, given our high error rate. Recently released figures show the commonwealth’s SNAP payment error rate is 9.21 percent for fiscal year 2025. Nearly one in ten payments is either too high or too low, meaning some families aren’t receiving what they need while others receive more than they are eligible for.

Read more at Broad + Liberty.