It has been a year since we began our Better Than Average Food Stamp Program accuracy campaign. At that time, we set what seemed a lofty goal for ourselves, improving our payment accuracy rate from the worst in the nation to 93% in one year. I remember a distinct feeling while meeting with you last fall to kick off the campaign of my doubts quickly shifting to a strong belief that "we can do this". Every office acknowledged the importance of work quality and was confident that we could improve it. And indeed you have! Our food stamp accuracy rate now stands at 93.6%.
Your accomplishments do matter. During this campaign year we have reduced food stamp overpayments and underpayments by nearly $5 million, and those in Temporary Assistance by $2.4 million. Our improved accuracy saves more than dollars, just think of the time saved by reducing overpayment claims and supplemental payments, fair hearings and the headaches that accompany high error rates. The positive effects of your good work add up in so many ways.
There have been helpful contributions this year to support your good work. Our payment error rate would be 2.4 percentage points higher without the help of the Quality Assessment Review Committee (QARC). This is an impressive achievement and a great collaboration between QA, Policy, System and Field Staff. Semi-annual reporting for food stamps has certainly reduced the number of Food Stamp Program errors. Our QA staff has also done a terrific job. Each year federal reviewers examine half of our sample cases to see if QA reviewed did them correctly. This usually results in states' official error rates being increased by a full percentage point or more. Through the first nine months of this sample year there are no federal variances that add to our state-determined error rate. The efforts to strengthen our own internal supervisory case review process has also helped to build this year's impressive gains in our work quality.
In a couple of months the QA sample for Fiscal Year 2004 will be complete. As it stands, we are in strong contention for a Food Stamp Program performance bonus award for most improved accuracy. Yet the press for work quality never sleeps. October 1st marked the start of another sampling year for us. It looks likely that we'll achieve our accuracy goal, yet we are still above the national error rate average. We will continue our Better than Average work quality campaign in the coming year. Our FY 05 Food Stamp Accuracy target is one point higher at 94%. If we achieve another great year of accuracy performance we also avoid paying a lingering error rate penalty from FFY 02.
The Division is setting four broad goals and strategies to achieve them. The Accountability and Stewardship Goal includes initiatives to enhance work quality and to help you keep our accuracy rates high in all programs.
This year I'm confident from the start. You've proven once again that we can excel at whatever we ask you to focus upon. Thank you again for the good work. Your daily effort that goes into this accomplishment is acknowledged and truly appreciated.
Jim Dalman, Chief, Program Integrity and Analysis