Kentucky Lawmakers and Agency Leaders Discuss SNAP Payment Error Rate Strategies
FRANKFORT — Kentucky lawmakers and agency leaders outlined strategies Wednesday to keep the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payment error rate low enough to retain complete federal benefit coverage.
Current Error Rate and Federal Requirements
At the Interim Joint Committee on Appropriations and Revenue meeting, officials reported a 2025 SNAP payment error rate of 3.7%. Under changes enacted in House Resolution 1 — the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed by Congress this summer — states must maintain an error rate under 6% for the federal government to continue paying 100% of SNAP costs into the 2028 federal fiscal year.
Measurement and Impact of Payment Errors
Lesa Dennis, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services, explained that the 2028 funding determination will be based on the error rate measured in 2025 or 2026. She described a payment error as a household receiving more or less than the correct benefit beyond a $58 tolerance threshold.
Dennis said errors are found through the program’s quality control r...