AUGUST 30, 2011 PREPARED & PRESENTED BY: CHALLA FLETCHER PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY SPECIALIST DIVISION OF COUNTY OPERATIONS Researched Proposal New SNAP Policy Written in Plain Language

OVERVIEW Background on SNAP  Eligibility  Implementation  Penalties/Incentives Economic Changes Scenario Example Plain Text Writing Solution: Policy Revision Team  Job Description  Schedule  Budget and Resources Benefit of Policy Change Other Options Call To Action Conclusion

BACKGROUND SNAP for low inc0me households 1 in 12 participating in 2007 (GAO 2007) Issues with policy  Outdated  Unclear Language Incorrect policy usage  Underpayments  Overpayments State held accountable for errors

BACKGROUND: Determining Eligibility Department of Human Service Office Determination based on  Monthly Gross Income  Monthly Net Income  Resource Limit  Expenses  Other Factors Civil Rights of Client Begins with understanding policy

BACKGROUND: Implementing Policy Compared to policy Determination software  ANSWER  Mainframe Software coded for income & expenses Resources counted by case worker Client’s rights to policy  Department of Appeals and Hearings  Program Eligibility Analyst

BACKGROUND: Penalties and Incentives United States Department of Agriculture Penalties Incentives Based on national average Changing accuracy rate

ECONOMIC CHANGES Inadequate income Inventive ways to save money/resources 9.3% Americans unemployed in 2009 (Vroman 2010) Higher unemployment Households closer to poverty rate

SCENARIO EXAMPLE No relationship between “Woman” and “Man” No relationship between “Man” and “Child 1”

PLAIN TEXT WRITING “Well established principles of clear communication,” (Byrne 2008) Clarity and Precision Policy-defined course of action Issues with policy text  Word Choice  Jargon  Circular Reference 20% of case errors in 2003

SOLUTION Policy Revision Team 15 person team Trained in current policy and plain language Answer to Area 6 County Director Policy Revision Team breakdown  Job Description  Schedule  Benefits & Resources

SOLUTION: Job Description Recreate SNAP policy Survey case workers for suggestions Research other state policy structure Research and apply new social norms Monitor economy statistical changes Resource for case worker to check policy

SOLUTION: Schedule Ten year contractual agreement Research available annually only  Economy changes  DCO Survey  State error rate Policy section time line

SOLUTION: Budget & Resources Reinvest mandate penalty Salary $35,000 to $37,000 annually Doughty Building  Access clearance  Training  Computes  Scanners  Phone systems State Policy background fee

BENEFITS Shorten reading time More time for case processing Increased understanding of procedures Fewer under/overpayments Increase accuracy rating

OTHER OPTIONS New Technologies  Data Sharing  Data Mining  Smart Technology Client errors  Incomplete reporting  Inaccurate reporting  Not reporting changes Must start at the base: POLICY

CALL TO ACTION Can begin now  National Payment Accuracy Workgroup  Hiring process  HIPPA, ANSWER, Mainframe training  Study current Policy and Plain Language Contact other agencies on decision  USDA  FNS  Remaining Arkansas County Directors Next fiscal year: July 2, 2012

CONCLUSION SNAP Policy  Unclear  Outdated Policy errors cause low state accuracy rating State penalized for low accuracy rating Policy Revision Team Penalty reinvestment Effective July 2, 2012

REFERENCES Byrne, D. (2008 March). “Writing government policies and procedures in plain language.” Business Communication Quarterly, United States Government Accountability Office. (2006). Improper payments: federal and state coordination needed to report national improper payment estimates on federal programs. Retrieved from United States Government Accountability Office. (2007). Food Stamp Program: Payment errors and trafficking have declined despite increased program participation. Retrieved from bin/getrpt?GAO T. Vroman, W. (2010). The great recession, unemployment insurance and poverty. Georgetown University. Weiss, E. H. (2005). The elements of international English style. New York: M.E. Sharpe Inc.