Department for Children and Families Commissioner David Yacovone says the state is correcting problems that got it into hot water with the federal government over the food stamp program known as 3SquaresVT.
Yacovone told a conference of representatives of social service agencies that the state is reversing a situation that has led to federal sanctions and the prospect of food assistance recipients having to return money.
The state ran afoul of the federal government for two reasons: It was making too many mistakes in determining who was eligible for 3SquaresVT. It also provided too much assistance money to some Vermonters.
The mistakes, which have persisted over the past several years, have cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties.
Yacovone says it's likely Vermont error rates will once again exceed the federal limit for the most recently completed fiscal year.
The state ran afoul of the federal government for two reasons: It was making too many mistakes in determining who was eligible for 3SquaresVT. It also provided too much assistance money to some Vermonters.
He says the good news is in the current fiscal year the state error rates are within the guidelines and he expects them to stay that way. He credits the reinstatement of a training program and increased staffing for the improvement.
Addressing the overpayment problem, Yacovone says the state hopes most of those who received excess benefits will not have to refund them.
“We’ve gone back to the federal government and said, ‘can we increase our write-off rate, can we hold people harmless, can we have permission to increase the threshold by which we try to collect and write-off the vast majority of these claims,’ Yacovone says. “ They seem to be working with us to that resolution.”
Yacovone says money will still have to be collected from recipients who received higher amounts in overpayments.
3SquaresVT serves 90,000 individuals. Jennifer Evans, with the Central Vermont Community Action Council, says most use the program for a limited period of time, as many did during the height of the recession.
“I think some of them are finding jobs and getting off of assistance, which is the most typical group of people who use 3SquaresVT,” says Evans. “They use them for a little while then get back on their feet and are able to support themselves again.”
"There is a misconception that if you are approved for a benefit, you're going to be taking food away from a child. I hear that a lot." - Ellie Hayes, Central Vermont Council on Aging
It’s estimated that nearly one in five people who qualifies for assistance doesn’t use it.
Ellie Hayes, with the Central Vermont Council on Aging, says her elderly clients are concerned about the stigma attached to assistance and worried they’re hurting others by accepting it.
“People are very proud. And they don’t want to be taking away from other people. There is a misconception that if you are approved for a benefit, you’re going to be taking food away from a child. I hear that a lot,”Hayes says.
Officials say Vermont has been able to dodge some federal cuts in assistance, but the state lost $10 million last November when additional benefits implemented during the recession came to an end.
