Press Releases
01/23/2018
Gov. Malloy Announces $1.6 Million Federal Bonus for SNAP Food Aid Program
Award Recognizes Connecticut as Among Best in Nation for Enrolling Low-Income Households
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a $1.6 million performance bonus to the State of Connecticut for being among the top states for enrolling eligible households in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).
“The Department of Social Services and its partners have done a great job in bringing food assistance to eligible residents through the federally-funded SNAP program,” Governor Malloy said. “The award of federal performance bonus dollars in recognition of this success will be reinvested to make the program even stronger.”
Federal officials recognized Connecticut as a state with the “highest program access index” for 2016, signifying the number of SNAP participants enrolled from the estimated eligible population. The state’s access benchmark was 95.58 percent.
“The USDA and its Food and Nutrition Service have cited Connecticut for effectively reaching eligible families and adults to help with the cost of putting food on the table,” Department of Social Services Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby said. “SNAP is a vital service that can literally mean the difference between health and hunger for a great many low-income households, including working people and older adults on fixed incomes.”
According to federal rules, the state’s performance bonus of $1,624,582 will be reinvested in technology, improvements in administration and distribution, fraud prevention, or other eligible activities.
Commissioner Bremby acknowledged SNAP outreach contractors and other partners for their role in getting the word out about food assistance and helping enroll eligible households. The state contractors over the past several years have included End Hunger Connecticut!, the Connecticut Association for Community Action, the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut, the Hispanic Health Council, and the Connecticut Association for Human Services.
Commissioner Bremby also noted that Connecticut is in the top echelon nationally for accuracy and timeliness of SNAP benefit issuance.
“Since 2011, we have taken a program that was virtually dead last in quality metrics to one that is recognized as a leader in the northeast region and the nation,” he said. “We’re very proud of the job DSS staff and our partners have done in this critical area.”
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