Florida will receive a $7 million bonus from the federal government for its low levels of incorrect food-stamp spending in 2013, according to Fox News – the state improperly handed out a mere $47,829,887 last year.
The Department of Agriculture is granting Florida the award for “saving” taxpayers money. The state’s Department of Children and Families’ wasted funds represents an error rate of 0.81 percent (out of the $6 billion the state received from the federal government), the second lowest rate in the country.
Watchdog.org reports that the state’s error rate was 0.7 percent last year, the lowest rate of any state, earning it an $8 million award. The national average was an error rate of 3.2 percent, and Vermont had the highest at 9.66 percent.
Florida official Mike Carroll expressed pride in his state’s comparatively low error rate in a statement. “We are pleased Florida is again being recognized as a leader for quality and accuracy in processing food assistance applications. The department is committed to helping individuals in crisis and being able to quickly assist families and individuals in need of these resources is one of our principal functions.”