Under the “Big Beautiful Bill” Congress passed, some states may have to start paying a portion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program.
“SNAP” provides help to low income families. The new provision says states with an error rate of 6 percent or higher will have to start paying a portion of those benefit cost.
North Dakota is one of those states. But the state’s Department of Health and Human Services is working to reduce that error rate.
"The payment error rate is simply a measurement of of math," said the Department's interim Economic Assistance Director, Rebecca Askins. "It doesn't mean there was fraudulent benefit. It simply means a miscalculation, or a simple error, that has resulted in a variance in highly complex federal formulas."
Askins says DHS is now working to modernize the process, to prevent future errors, and is standing up a dedicated “Case Improvement Unit.”
"We are fully committed to accuracy, and insuring those federal nutrition benefits reach eligible families," Askins said. "We also have some time, in order to try and mitigate. We have the full 2026 fiscal year to finalize our numbers, and potentially eliminate any cost share."
