CASPER, Wyo. — On Thursday, the Wyoming Department of Family Services said it had received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that aims to help detect and prevent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fraud.
“This investment will help the state improve its recipient fraud prevention, detection, and investigation efforts by implementing principles from the SNAP Fraud Framework, a toolkit designed to help states prevent and detect fraud and sharpen their investigative techniques,” Wyoming DFS said in the press release.
Wyoming DFS will get $750,000 to develop a front-end eligibility investigation process to allow staff to quickly review questionable cases, verify information by applicants and identify undeclared assets.
The majority of people who use SNAP are eligible for the benefits, but Wyoming DFS said there are some cases of violations of program rules.
“We applaud Wyoming on this commitment to program integrity,” said Cheryl Kennedy, Food and Nutrition Service Mountain Plains regional administrator. “SNAP is a cornerstone of the USDA nutrition assistance programs. This grant award enables Wyoming to further strengthen its program through innovative efforts to prevent and detect fraud. Together through our federal–state partnership, we are committed to reaching eligible individuals and families and improving food and nutrition security.”
