Sponsored by:
Senator JEFF VAN DREW
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Commissioner of Human Services to participate in National Accuracy Clearinghouse to detect improper dual payments from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution urging the Commissioner of Human Services to participate in the National Accuracy Clearinghouse.
Whereas, The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also called SNAP or Food Stamps, is a federally funded and state-administered program that provides assistance to needy households to purchase food and other necessities; and
Whereas, In any given month of 2014, at least 2,000 households in the Southeastern United States were illegally receiving SNAP benefits from more than one state, costing millions in taxpayer dollars; and
Whereas, A new data-sharing system called the National Accuracy Clearinghouse allows states to identify so-called “dual participants” and terminate their improperly delivered benefits; and
Whereas, The National Accuracy Clearinghouse was reported to have saved $5.6 million in its first year of operation in the five states piloting the program; and
Whereas, The costs to implement and maintain the system have been significantly outweighed by savings in the five states that piloted the National Accuracy Clearinghouse; and
Whereas, The National Accuracy Clearinghouse could expand in the future to other states and other programs, such as Medicaid, potentially saving state and federal taxpayers millions more; and
Whereas, It has been reported that at least 35 states, in addition to the initial five states, have contacted Mississippi and Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions, the contractor that built the system, and have begun to explore the option of joining the program; and
Whereas, New Jersey residents would benefit by the State’s participation in the National Accuracy Clearinghouse, ensuring that SNAP benefits are not paid improperly and unfairly from more than one state to a single household; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Commissioner of Human Services is respectfully urged to take necessary steps to participate in the National Accuracy Clearinghouse, if it is determined that New Jersey’s participation would be economical and beneficial to the residents of New Jersey.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Governor and the Commissioner of Human Services.
STATEMENT
This resolution would urge the Commissioner of Human Services to take necessary steps to participate in the National Accuracy Clearinghouse, if it is determined that New Jersey’s participation would be economical and beneficial to the residents of New Jersey.
The National Accuracy Clearinghouse is a data-sharing system that allows states to identify so-called “dual participants” and terminate their improperly delivered benefits. The National Accuracy Clearinghouse was reported to have saved $5.6 million in its first year of operation in the five states piloting the program, significantly more than the costs to establish and operate the program. It has been reported that at least 35 additional states are considering participating in the program.