Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Improve program participation while reducing improper payments
Solve payment and participation issues with timely incarceration data
Over 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits to provide them with basic nutritional assistance. Moreover, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “SNAP is a critical part of a [prisoner] re-entry support infrastructure, providing basic food assistance and supplementing inadequate income.”
SNAP agencies across the country consistently strive to improve performance against two key metrics: program participation and improper payment rate.
Appriss’ value proposition to SNAP agencies is simple: we offer a turn-key solution to the challenge of administering SNAP benefits to a population that frequently cycles in and out of incarceration. By providing access to real-time custody status information, Incarceration Intelligence empowers state agencies to administer more efficient and effective SNAP programs.
Grow Participation
Streamline application processing by monitoring eligible beneficiaries’ custody status. Receive an automated alert upon their release from incarceration.
Encourage Successful Transitions
Address food insecurity and provide nutritional assistance to an at-risk population.
Save Taxpayer Dollars
Use near-real-time incarceration data to verify eligibility and reduce improper payments.
91%
91% of individuals released from prison are considered food insecure
2/3
Two-thirds of released prisoners are re-arrested for a new crime within 3 years
83%
Only 83% of SNAP-eligible Americans participate in the program
Encourage smoother societal transitions
More than 8.7 million individuals were booked into U.S. incarceration facilities in 2018, with over 2 million individuals currently incarcerated in local, state, and federal facilities. The formerly incarcerated face a wide range of social and economic obstacles upon release. Unfortunately, these obstacles contribute to the nation’s high recidivism rates: two-thirds of released prisoners are re-arrested for a new crime within 3 years.
Streamlined, immediate access to food assistance is critical for the formerly incarcerated, According to the National Institutes of Health, 91% of prisoners are considered “food insecure” upon release. SNAP benefits provide important stability while an individual is reintegrating into public life and looking for other necessities such as healthcare and housing.
Reduce overpayments with accurate beneficiary status.
During FY 2017/2018, over $60 billion was paid out in nutritional assistance benefits. Of that, approximately $3.7 billion was identified as improperly paid—a result of either fraud or administrative error. Reducing this improper payment rate saves taxpayer dollars and improves agency performance.
Appriss’ Incarceration Intelligence solution gives state SNAP agencies access to accurate, timely data, allowing personnel to identify and cease fraudulent payments.
Agencies are able to place “watches” on their SNAP beneficiaries’ lists, and receive alerts when a monitored individual is:
- Booked into custody
- Released from custody
- Incarcerated for a certain “length of stay”
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