Capitol Notebook: Iowa's SNAP payment error rate declined in 2023

The payment error rate for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Iowa was among the country's lowest in fiscal year 2023, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The payment error rate indicates the accuracy of the state Department of Health and Human Services in determining SNAP eligibility, and of SNAP applicants in providing information.

Iowa's payment error rate for 2023 was 5.19 percent, less than half the national average of 11.68 percent. The overpayment rate was 4.43 percent, while the underpayment rate was 0.76 percent. Iowa is tied with Wyoming for the sixth-lowest error rate in the country.

Iowa was issued a $1.8 million fine from the USDA in 2018 for having a payment error rate nearly 50 percent higher than the national average. The rate at that time was 10.02 percent.

Iowa Hunger Coalition Board Chair Luke Elzinga said in a statement the change reflects improvements by the state HHS department in determining SNAP eligibility. The coalition noted that payment error rates are generally not indicative of fraud, but instead inadvertent mistakes on the part of the state agency or SNAP applicants.

“We commend the Department of Health and Human Services and Director Kelly Garcia for their sustained efforts to reduce payment errors for SNAP in Iowa,” Elzinga said. “Ensuring accuracy in benefit payments is vital to protecting the public trust of SNAP.”

Iowa DNR puts out 'urgent plea' for bat surveyors

Wildlife enthusiasts can help track Iowa bats this month by volunteering for a Department of Natural Resources program in Tama County.

The department and Iowa State University are looking for volunteers to help survey bats in Tama County during the second half of July, the department said on Friday.

Volunteers will drive a set route with recording equipment mounted on a car to detect bats along the route. The department is asking volunteers to drive the route twice a night on at least two nights in July, and set up additional equipment at a stationary location.

The total time commitment, including training and surveys, would be about 12 hours, the department said. Interested residents can visit the DNR's Volunteer Wildlife Monitoring Program website to sign up.

The bat program began in 2015 because of declining bat populations in the state due to White Nose Syndrome and other challenges, the department said.

Three more counties approved for federal assistance from flooding

Three more Iowa counties are eligible for the federal Individual Assistance Program under a Major Disaster Declaration after severe storms and flooding in June.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency opened up the program in Buena Vista, Cherokee and O'Brien counties under the previously approved Major Disaster Declaration that now covers 10 northwest Iowa counties, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Friday.

The Individual Assistance Program opens up government grants and assistance for people who lost housing, property and wages because of the flooding. People in the covered counties can apply for assistance at disasterassistance.gov.

Five counties — Clay, Emmet, Lyon, Plymouth and Sioux — had already been approved for the Individual Assistance program. Those five counties, as well as Osceola, Dickinson, O'Brien and Buena Vista, also have been approved for the Public Assistance program, which makes funding available for governments and nonprofits to aid in recovery.

Hy-Vee expands partnership with Iowa WIC

Iowans who receive Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children benefits will have broader access to online ordering and pickup at Hy-Vee through a partnership with the state Department of Health and Human Services.

The department announced Friday it had expanded a pilot project that allows WIC recipients to use an eWIC card to order groceries online and pick them up at participating Hy-Vee stores.

The program began in February at one Des Moines store and expanded in June to across Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska through a nonprofit grant.

“This is yet another incredible example of a public-private partnership that will greatly benefit individuals receiving WIC benefits in our state,” Iowa HHS Director Kelly Garcia said in a statement. “The goal of this program is to provide easier access and convenience — and every parent of young children wants the convenience while balancing work and life.”

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau