Gov. John Kasich signed a bill this week increasing how often food assistance recipients must be certified for eligibility. The move is drawing fire from the state’s foodbanks.
HB 119 requires people on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to be certified every quarter, as opposed to annually, as it is now. Backers of the legislation say the purpose is to uncover fraud more quickly.
But Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, says the new rules will cost taxpayers money.
“This is absolutely a misguided proposal that is going to do nothing more than create administrative bureaucracies on a program that is extremely impactful to individuals who receive the benefits," she says.
In addition to changing SNAP, House Bill 119 also changes the frequency for Medicaid verification from yearly to quarterly.
