By summer 2009, there was a backlog of nearly 32,000 cases and 6,500 people were waiting for appeal hearings. According to their monthly management reports, the FSSA was reporting incredibly high food stamp eligibility error rates to the USDA. Between 2006 and 2008, the combined error rate more than tripled, from 5.9 percent to 19.4 percent. Most of that growth was in the negative error rate: 12.2 percent of those applying for food stamps were being incorrectly denied. The state’s long wait times for food stamps decisions attracted notice and threats of financial penalties from the USDA.
