Abstract

This study compares the Food Stamp Program (FSP) with eight other public assistance programs across four measures of program effectiveness—administrative costs, error payments, program access, and benefit targeting. The

comparison includes two other USDA nutrition assistance programs, three cash assistance programs, and three programs providing noncash benefits other than food or nutrition assistance. Results show that the FSP and the Earned

Income Tax Credit (EITC) present contrasting patterns. The EITC program has lower administrative costs and

higher program access rates than the FSP, but the FSP is more successful in limiting overpayments. Missing information makes it hard to generalize across the other programs, but there is some evidence suggesting that programs

with higher errors have lower administrative costs. Low administrative costs also appear to be inversely associated

with good program access for recipients. Also, programs that are more highly targeted tend to have higher benefit

delivery costs.

The Costs of Benefit Delivery in the

Food Stamp Program

Lessons From a Cross-Program Analysis

Contractor and Cooperator Report No. 39

March 2008

By Julia Isaacs, Brookings Institution, First Focus Fellow

This study was conducted by the Brookings Institution under a cooperative

research contract with USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) Food

and Nutrition Assistance Research Program (FANRP): contract number

59-5000-6-0104 (ERS project representative: Margaret Andrews). The views

expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of ERS or

USDA.
Acknowledgements 

The author gratefully acknowledges research support from the Economic Research 

Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Cooperative Assistance Agreement 

# 59-5000-6-0104. The paper benefited from the guidance and review of Margaret 

Andrews, project officer, and David Smallwood, Mark Prell, Laura Tiehen and Ken 

Hanson of the Economic Research Service. Valuable comments were also received from 

Kristen Hyatt and Ed Herzog of the Food and Nutrition Service, Ron Haskins of the 

Brookings Institution, Dottie Rosenbaum of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 

and Ahaviah Glaser of First Focus. Emily Roessel provided excellent research support. 

 

ii
Table of Contents 

Executive Summary........................................................................ v 

I. Introduction................................................................................ 1 

II. Cross-Program Analysis of the Costs of Benefit Delivery...................... 4 

 Overview of Programs..................................................................... 4 

 Administrative Costs....................................................................... 7 

 Improper Payments ............................................................................. 15 

 Program Access: Recipient Burden and Program Participation Rates.............. 18 

 Summary of Benefit Delivery Costs...................................................... 23 

III. Tradeoffs in Benefit Delivery Costs 25 

 Suggestive Evidence from Cross-Program Analysis 25 

 Review of Literature on Benefit Delivery Tradeoffs 27 

 The Role of Program Targeting in Explaining Benefit Delivery Costs............ 29 

 Benefit Targeting and Benefit Delivery Costs in the Food Stamp Program 32 

 Framework for Evaluating Proposed Reforms to the Food Stamp Program...... 37 

References....................................................................................... 38 

Appendix Tables ............................................................................ 44 

iii
List of Tables 

Table 1: Overview of Nine Programs .................................................... 5 

Table 2: Summary Measures of Benefit Delivery Costs.............................. 23 

Table 3. Balancing Benefit Targeting and Delivery Costs 31 

Table 4: Viewing Reforms as Balancing Benefit Targeting and Delivery Costs 33 

Appendix Table 1: Administrative Costs................................................ A-1 

Appendix Table 2: Error Rates............................................................ A-5 

Appendix Table 3: Participation Rates.................................................. A-7 

Appendix Table 4: Recipient Burden...................................................... A-9 

Appendix Table 5: Program Complexity................................................... A-11 

List of Figures 

ES-1: Combined Administrative Costs and Overpayments vii 

ES-2: Program Access: Participation rates and Recipient Burden viii 

Figure 1: Estimated Administrative Costs Including Computer Systems but 

Excluding Work Programs (Cents per Benefit Dollar Issued) 

8 

Figure .2A: Full Operating Costs Including Work Programs and All Non-Benefit 

Costs (Cents per Benefit Dollar) ........................ 

11 

Figure 2B: Full Operating Costs (as in Figure 2A), Plus Rough Indication of 

Local Administrative Costs that may be Buried in Benefit Expenditures 13 

Figure 3: Annualized Administrative Costs per Average Monthly Recipient...... 14 

Figure 4: Improper Payments (Cents per Benefit Dollar)................. 16 

Figure 5: Combined Administrative Costs and Overpayments (Cents per Benefit 

 Dollar) ...................................................................... 18 

Figure 6: Program Access: Recipient Burden and Participation Rates ............ 21 

Figure 7: Relationship between Administrative Costs and Overpayments....... 25 

Figure 8: Relationship between Administrative Costs and Participation Rates 26 

iv
Executive Summary

The Food Stamp Program is one of the nation’s largest programs providing benefits 

directly to low-income families. In 2006, the program provided benefits to 26.7 million 

people in an average month, at a combined federal and state cost of $35.8 billion. While 

most of these funds were spent on food stamp benefits for families, administrative costs 

totaled $4.8 to $5.7 billion, depending on how such costs are defined. 

In face of these administrative costs, some policy-makers have questioned whether the 

Food Stamp Program is a cost-effective mechanism for delivering benefits to low-income 

individuals. How do benefit delivery costs in the Food Stamp Program compare with 

costs in other programs? And, can a cross-program comparison shed light on why some 

programs spend more on benefit delivery costs than others and what steps might be taken 

to improve the cost-effectiveness of the Food Stamp Program? 

Methodological Approach 

In this study, I define benefit delivery costs to include a broad range of potential social 

costs associated with delivering benefits to eligible families: 

• Administrative costs are incurred at the federal, state and/or local level for such 

activities as eligibility determination, benefit distribution, information systems, 

fraud control, program management, staff training, and outreach. Expenditures on 

work programs and nutrition education are not considered administrative costs, 

except in one alternate measure. 

• Improper payments include overpayments and underpayments of benefits to 

families. Overpayments are viewed as a social cost decreasing the efficiency of 

benefit delivery because they represent resources that are not available for eligible 

families or other socially desirable purposes. 

Two measures of program access are also used to measure efficiency of benefit delivery, 

including: 

• Recipient burden or the costs to the recipients to apply and maintain eligibility, 

including time spent in applying for assistance and out-of-pocket costs for 

transportation and documentation. While not incurred by government agencies, 

these costs are part of the social cost of a program such as the Food Stamp 

Program. 

• Program participation rates to measure the extent to which the program 

succeeds or fails in reaching eligible families. From the perspective of 

government budgets, non-participation by eligible families saves money for the 

taxpayer. In this study, however, non-participation by eligible families is seen as 

an inefficiency of the delivery system that program administrators want to 

minimize. 

v
Across each of these dimensions, the Food Stamp Program is compared with eight other 

Federal programs delivering benefits to low-income families, including two other 

nutrition programs, three cash assistance programs, and three programs providing noncash benefits other than food assistance. 

An Important Note of Caution 

It is no easy task to define administrative costs, and it is even harder to define, measure, 

and report such costs – and improper payments and participation rates – consistently 

across nine programs that provide a diverse array of cash and non-cash benefits. My 

approach in this study is to proceed despite the acknowledged risk of sometimes 

comparing apples to oranges. I do so believing that a systematic comparison of estimated 

benefit delivery costs based on the best available information, while imperfect, will 

represent a substantial improvement over the comparisons that are currently made on an 

informal basis. Appendix tables to the full report provide transparency about the sources, 

assumptions, and uncertainty underlying the various estimates. 

Key Findings from Comparative Analysis 

1) The Food Stamp Program ranks relatively high in administrative costs, spending 

15.8 cents per dollar of food stamps issued. In contrast, the Earned Income Tax 

Credit (EITC) program spends only 1.5 cents per dollar of tax credit. 

One program (the Supplemental Feeding Program for Women, Infants and Children or 

WIC) has higher administrative costs than the Food Stamp Program; two programs 

(Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and housing assistance) have 

administrative costs roughly comparable to the Food Stamp Program and four programs 

(the National School Lunch Program, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid and 

child care assistance) have costs lower than the Food Stamp program, but much higher 

than the EITC program. 

The Food Stamp program is in the mid-range of administrative costs under some alternate 

measures. The EITC program continues to rank among the lowest on the alternate 

measures. 

2) The Food Stamp Program has much lower improper payments than the EITC. 

In fact, a combined measure of administrative costs and overpayments shows the 

Food Stamp Program has lower benefit delivery costs than the EITC. 

In 2005, the Food Stamp Program had 4.5 percent in overpaid benefits and 1.3 percent in 

underpayments for a gross improper payment rate of 5.8 percent. Overpayments are very 

high in the EITC, from 23-28 percent of benefits, according to recent estimates. 

vi
As shown in Figure ES-1, the combined costs of administrative costs and overpayments 

were larger in the EITC (24.5 to 28.5 percent of benefit expenditures) than in the Food 

Stamp Program (20.3 percent of benefit expenditures) 

No other program has overpayments as high as the EITC. However, three programs had 

no data on improper payments and may have quite high error rates. The remaining 

programs had error rates in the same range as the Food Stamp Program (WIC, SSI and 

housing), or mid-way between those in the Food stamp and EITC programs (child care 

assistance). 

3) The Food Stamp Program fares worse on measures of program access (recipient 

burden and program participation rates) than the EITC program. 

The most recent participation data suggest that 65 percent of eligible individuals (and 59 

percent of eligible families) participate in the Food Stamp Program, compared to a 75-86 

percent participation rate among families eligible for the EITC program (see Figure ES2). 

Participation rates for the other entitlement programs ranged between 66 and 75 percent; 

participation rates for grant programs that are subject to funding caps ranged from 21 to 

57 percent. 

Seven of the programs, including the Food Stamp Program, were ranked as being 

relatively high in burden, because they generally require lengthy applications, in-person 

interviews, periodic recertification, documentation, and/or additional steps to establish 

eligibility and benefit levels. Two of the programs, the National School Lunch Program 

and the EITC, were ranked as having relatively low recipient burden, with annual 

applications, no face-to-face interview and little additional documentation. 

4) The Food Stamp Program and EITC present contrasting patterns in the 

tradeoffs in benefit delivery costs. 

The EITC program is a prime example of a program with low administrative costs and 

high program access rates, combined with high overpayment rates. In contrast, the Food 

Stamp program has high administrative costs and lower program access (at least relative 

to EITC), but is successful in maintaining low overpayment rates. 

Missing information makes it hard to generalize across all nine programs, but there is 

some tentative evidence of a general pattern that programs with lower administrative 

costs have higher error rates. There also appears to be an inverse association between 

low administrative costs and good program access for recipients. 

There also is some suggestive evidence that the TANF and WIC programs may resemble 

the Food Stamp Program, while the National School Lunch program resembles the EITC 

program. (Missing data on error rates for TANF and the National School Lunch Program 

vii
viii

leave this a preliminary hypothesis). The four other programs lie between the Food Stamp 

Program and EITC in terms of benefit delivery tradeoffs. 

The Role of Benefit Targeting and Program Design 

Costs of benefit delivery are influenced to some degree by differences in program design, 

including the degree of benefit targeting. 

The Food Stamp Program is a complex program, with detailed eligibility and 

documentation requirements, providing monthly benefits that vary with income to 

families that experience frequent changes in household income and composition. In 

contrast, the EITC and the National School Lunch Program are relatively simple 

programs with annual eligibility determinations based primarily on family income. The 

lower benefit targeting of EITC and the National School Lunch program may explain 

their low administrative costs and high participation rates. 

Recent reforms to the Food Stamp Program provide examples of program modifications 

that affect benefit targeting, program access, error rates, and administrative costs. Of 

particular interest are two simplification reforms undertaken as part of the 2002 Farm 

Bill, simplified reporting requirements and liberalization of asset limits. These two 

reforms suggest it is possible to simultaneously reduce administrative costs, reduce 

improper payment rates, and improve program access. These improvements have been 

accompanied, however, by a relaxation of benefit targeting. 

One way to further reduce benefit delivery costs is to further simplify the Food Stamp 

Program, even though doing so will make it less tailored to individual families’ needs. 

Evaluating proposed changes against the four measures discussed here – benefit 

targeting, administrative costs, error payments, and program access – may help policymakers in striking the right balance between tightness of benefit targeting and costliness 

of benefit delivery. 
Figure ES-1. Combined Administrative Costs and Overpayment Rates 

(Cents per Benefit Dollar Issued) 

5.1

14

8.1

15.5

7.7

1.5

27.8

2

15.8

3.9

14

6.4

23

4.5

0 10 20 30 40 

Medicaid

Housing 

Child Care

TANF cash 

SSI

EITC

WIC

School Lunch 

Food Stamps 

Administrative costs Overpayments

error rate unknown

 error rate unknown to 14

to 28

error rate unknown

 to 41.4

to 22.1

Notes: Two estimates of administrative costs per benefit dollar are provided for the National School Lunch Program (r

local administrative costs), WIC (reflecting value of food benefits before and after infant formula rebates), and TANF (re

to include cash only, or cash and non-cash benefits). Also two estimates of overpayments are provided for the EITC. See 

ix
Figure ES-2. Program Access: Participation Rates and Recipient Burden 

25

21

46

57

68

59

65

75

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 

Housing**

Child Care

TANF**

WIC

Medicaid

SSI

EITC**

School Lunch 

Food Stamp (Family) **

Food Stamps(Individual)

Grant Programs Entitlement Programs

High burden

High burden

66-70

75-86

Low burdenLow burdenHigh burdenHigh burden

High burdenHigh burdenHigh burdenHigh burden

Notes: ** Participation rates are for eligible families. Where not marked, participation rates are for eligible individuals. 

x
I. Introduction 

The Food Stamp Program is one of the nation’s largest programs providing benefits 

directly to low-income families. Benefits are delivered electronically using plastic cards 

that can be used to buy food in authorized food stores. To receive benefits, families must 

apply at local food stamp offices, providing detailed information about income, 

household size, shelter and medical expenses, assets, citizenship status, and other factors 

needed to determine eligibility. Benefit amounts can vary from month to month, 

depending on the family’s level of need. In 2006, the program provided benefits to 26.7 

million people in an average month, at a combined federal and state cost of $35.8 billion 

(USDA, 2007). While most of these funds were spent on food stamp benefits for families, 

administrative costs totaled $4.8 to $5.7 billion, depending on how such costs are 

defined. 

In face of these administrative costs, some policy-makers have questioned whether the 

Food Stamp Program is a cost-effective mechanism for delivering benefits to low-income 

individuals. A review of seven programs by the Government Accountability Office 

(GAO) found that the Food Stamp Program spent proportionally more on administrative 

costs than three programs (TANF, child care assistance and unemployment insurance) 

though less than three others (adoption assistance, foster care, and child support 

enforcement) (GAO, 2006a). Other studies have highlighted the difference between the 

Food Stamp Program and the Earned Income Tax Credit, which has much lower 

administrative costs (Holtzblatt, 2004). 

This paper addresses two key questions of interest to policy-makers and program 

administrators. First, how do benefit delivery costs in the Food Stamp Program 

compare with costs in other programs? And, second, can a cross-program 

comparison shed light on why some programs spend more on certain types of 

benefit delivery costs than others and what steps might be taken to improve the costeffectiveness of the Food Stamp Program? 

Cross-program comparisons to this point have often been made on an informal basis; a 

more systematic comparison provides a broader understanding of the various differences 

across programs. In this analysis, the cost of delivering benefits to eligible families is 

defined to include a broad range of potential social costs associated with benefit delivery, 

including error rates, recipient burden and failure to reach eligible families, as well as 

costs for traditional administrative activities. Each of these costs is described briefly 

below. 

• Administrative costs include the federal, state and/or local costs of such 

activities as eligibility determination, benefit distribution, information systems, 

fraud control, program management, staff training, and outreach (GAO, 2006b). 

Drawing on estimates of other researchers and the author’s own estimates from 

recent budget documents, a few different measures of administrative costs are 

presented. The primary definition of administrative costs focuses narrowly on the 

costs eligibility and benefit delivery; an alternative definition expands the concept 

1
of administrative costs to include work programs, nutrition education services, 

and any other program costs other than direct payments to families. Excluding 

the cost of employment and training programs and nutrition education, the Food 

Stamp Program spent $4.8 billion in administrative costs and distributed $30.2 

billion in benefits in 2006, spending 15.8 cents per dollar in benefits issued.1 

• Improper payments are payments paid in error to families, including both 

overpayments and underpayments (OMB, 2006b). Overpayments are viewed as a 

social cost decreasing the efficiency of benefit delivery because they represent 

resources that are not available for eligible families or other socially desirable 

purposes. Significant attention has been spent on monitoring and reducing 

program error rates in the Food Stamp Program. In 2005, the improper payment 

rate was 5.8 percent of benefits (OMB, 2007). While historically low, this error 

rate still means that approximately $1.45 billion in benefits were overpaid or 

underpaid (including approximately $1.1 billion in benefit overpayments and $0.3 

billion in benefit underpayments). These overpayments are an additional cost of 

benefit delivery in the sense that 4.5 cents of every $1.00 benefit is overpaid and 

an additional 1.3 cents is underpaid. 

Two measures of program access are also used to measure efficiency of benefit delivery, 

recipient burden and program participation rates. 

• Recipient burden is a measure of the costs to the recipients to apply and maintain 

eligibility, including time spent in applying for assistance and out-of-pocket costs 

for transportation and documentation. It also can include recipient perceptions of 

“hassle” and stigma related to program participation. While not incurred by 

government agencies, these costs are part of the social cost of a program such as 

the Food Stamp Program. There is relatively little literature on recipient burden. 

• Program participation rates measure the percentage of eligible families that 

actually participate in the program. From the perspective of government budgets, 

non-participation by eligible families saves money for the taxpayer. In this study, 

however, non-participation by eligible families is seen as an inefficiency of the 

delivery system that program administrators want to minimize. In 2005, the 

individual program participation rate (also known as the take-up or coverage rate) 

in the Food Stamp Program was about 65 percent. An estimated 15 million 

individuals were eligible but did not participate (Barrett and Poikolainen, 2006). 

The paper is organized as follows. The main body of the paper, Chapter II, consists of a 

comparative analysis of administrative costs across nine major programs to determine 

whether the Food Stamp Program does indeed spend more on benefit delivery costs than 

other programs. The conceptual and methodological challenges to such cross-program 

 

1

 Federal obligations for benefits were $30.149 billion in fiscal year 2006. Federal and state administrative 

expenses were $4.755 billion (including federal costs under the budget item “other program costs”), not 

counting $0.927 estimated as spent on nutrition education and work program costs (USDA, 2007 and 

calculations of author) 

2
comparisons are acknowledged throughout the paper. My position in this paper is that a 

systematic comparison of estimated benefit delivery costs based on the best available 

information, while imperfect, will represent a substantial improvement over the 

comparisons that are currently made on an informal basis. Appendix tables to the full 

report provide transparency about the sources, assumptions, and uncertainty underlying 

the various estimates. 

Following the comparative analysis, there is an examination in Chapter III of various 

trade-offs across benefit delivery costs. A number of researchers have suggested that the 

Food Stamp Program and the Earned Income Tax Credit offer contrasting examples of 

the tradeoffs among administrative accuracy, administrative costs, and program access 

(Holtzblatt, 2004; Fishman and Beebout, 2001; Leibman, 1998). Others have pointed to 

the tradeoffs between administrative accuracy, program access and administrative cost 

within the Food Stamp Program itself (Ohls and Beebout, 1993). The comparative 

analysis across nine programs provides an opportunity to explore tradeoffs in delivery 

system costs across a diverse set of programs. 

In addition, Chapter III discusses the interaction of program design and the costs of 

benefit delivery, with particular attention to the role of benefit targeting. The paper 

concludes by offering a framework for evaluating proposed reforms to the Food Stamp 

Program. 

3
4

 

II. Comparative Analysis of the Costs of Benefit Delivery 

Overview of Programs 

In this analysis, the Food Stamp Program is compared with eight other Federal programs 

delivering benefits to low-income families. Specifically, the Food Stamp Program is 

compared with two other nutrition assistance programs (the Supplemental Feeding 

Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and the National School Lunch 

Program); three programs providing cash benefits (Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the 

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and the Supplemental 

Security Income (SSI) program); and three programs providing non-cash benefits other 

than food assistance (child care assistance, housing programs, and Medicaid). 

In all nine programs, eligibility is restricted to individuals and families with income 

below limits set for the program. Six programs also impose asset tests, and six impose 

citizenship requirements. Most of the programs are further targeted to specific 

populations, such as families with children, pregnant women, the elderly, the disabled, or 

some combination of these needy populations. The Food Stamp Program is unusual in 

serving all low-income individuals, without restriction to a particular demographic group. 

However, the majority of food stamp households have children (54 percent), or elderly or 

disabled members (40 percent), or both (10 percent) (Barrett, 2006). 

In terms of total costs, the Food Stamp Program is roughly comparable in size to each of 

the three cash assistance programs (TANF, the EITC and SSI) and combined spending on 

housing assistance; all five programs have total annual expenditures in the $25-$40 

billion range.2

 The other two nutrition programs and the child care program are 

significantly smaller ($5-$10 billion annually). Medicaid dwarfs all the others with 

federal, state, and local expenditures of more than $300 billion. Together these nine 

programs accounted for more than four-fifths (82 percent) of total spending on cash and 

non-cash benefits for low-income families and individuals in 2004 (CRS, 2006). 

Six of the nine programs are solely or primarily federally funded; Medicaid, TANF, and 

child care assistance have substantial state and local funding in addition to federal 

funding. At the local level, the Food Stamp Program is administered by state and local 

welfare agencies, often the same agencies administering the TANF, child care, and 

Medicaid programs. The EITC and SSI programs are directly administered by federal 

agencies, the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration, respectively. 

WIC and housing are administered by local health and housing agencies; and the 

National School Lunch Program is administered by local school districts. Further 

information on the nine programs is provided in Table 1. 

 

2

 In this analysis, the two major federal rental assistance programs – Public housing and Section 8 housing 

vouchers – are treated as one “housing assistance” program. 
Table 1: Overview of Nine Programs 

Benefits 

provided 

Eligibility 

Determination 

Income limit(1) Population Served 

Food Stamp 

Program 

Monthly food 

vouchers 

delivered 

electronically. 

Complex rules on 

income, assets, 

citizenship, work 

requirements, etc. 

Gross income: 

130 percent of 

povery (FPL); Net 

income: 100 

percent of FPL 

Diverse low-income population, 

not restricted to any one 

categorical group. 29 percent 

had earnings in 2005. 

National School 

Lunch Program 

(free- and 

reduced-price 

components) 

Per meal 

subsidies to 

schools for 

lunches served 

to children. 

Fairly simple income 

determination (onepage application 

common). 

130 percent of FPL 

for free lunches; 

between 131 and 

185 percent of FPL 

for reduced-price 

lunches. 

School-age children. 

Special 

Supplemental 

Feeding Program 

for Women, Infants 

and Children 

(WIC) 

Monthly food 

vouchers for 

specific foods 

and nutrition 

services. 

Complex (medical 

and/or nutritional 

assessment required). 

No assets test. 

185 percent of 

FPL. 

Pregnant and post-partum 

women, infants and children 

ages 1-5. 

Earned Income 

Tax Credit (EITC) 

Annual 

refundable tax 

credit. 

Benefits determined on 

basis of information 

submitted for income 

taxes. No asset test. 

Must be citizen or 

resident alien. 

$35,458 if 2 or 

more children and 

married parents in 

2005. 

Working families, primarily 

families with children. 100 

percent had earnings. 

Supplemental 

Security Income 

(SSI) 

Monthly cash 

assistance. 

Complex rules, with 

disability assessment 

required if not elderly. 

Must meet income, 

assets, and citizenship 

requirements. 

Income below 

$579 for individual 

($6,948 annual) 

and $869 for a 

couple ($10,428 

annually) in 2005. 

Elderly, blind or disabled 

individuals. 3.4 percent had 

earnings in 2004. 

Temporary 

Assistance for 

Needy Families 

(TANF) 

Monthly cash 

assistance, work 

supports and 

other services. 

Complex rules on 

income, assets, 

citizenship, work 

requirements, etc. 

varying by state. 

Set by state. Low-income families with 

children, pregnant women. 19 

percent of adult recipients had 

earnings. 

Child Care 

Assistance under 

CCDF program 

Monthly 

vouchers for 

child care 

assistance. 

Moderately complex 

rules on income, child 

care arrangements. 

Usually no assets test. 

Set by state, but 

below 85 percent 

of state median 

income. 

Families with children, who 

also are working or in 

education/training. 86 percent 

had earnings. 

Housing Programs Monthly rental 

assistance. 

Complex rules on 

income, assets, 

citizenship, work 

requirements, etc. 

80 percent of 

median area 

income with higher 

priority if 30 

percent of median 

area income. 

Families with children, elderly 

individuals. 

Medicaid Health insurance. Complex rules on 

income, assets, 

citizenship, etc. varying 

by state. 

Set by state within 

Federal 

parameters. 

Low-income children (and their 

parents at certain income 

levels), pregnant women, 

children, elderly people and 

individuals with disabilities, 

certain other needy individuals. 

(Table continued on next page) 

5
Table 1: Overview of Nine Programs, continued. 

Total Costs 100 Percent Federal 

Funding? 

Open-ended 

entitlement 

Administration: 

Federal, Local 

Food Stamp 

Program 

$35.8 billion, 

including $30.1 

billion in benefits in 

2006. 

Yes, except states pay 

for 50 percent of 

administrative costs. 

Yes. USDA, state and local 

welfare agencies. 

National School 

Lunch Program 

$8.5 billion in lunch 

subsidies in 2006. 

Yes, except for $200 

million in state funds. 

Yes. USDA, state agencies 

pass funds onto school 

districts which operate the 

programs. 

Special 

Supplemental 

Feeding Program for 

Women, Infants and 

Children (WIC) 

$5.1 billion in 2006 Yes, except some 

states provide small 

amounts for nutrition 

services and 

administration. 

No. USDA, state and local 

health agencies. 

Earned Income Tax 

Credit 

$34.4 billion in 2003, 

of which 88 percent 

was outlays. 

Yes. Some states have 

additional state earned 

income tax credits (not 

included in cost totals). 

Yes. Internal Revenue Service 

administers directly. 

Supplemental 

Security Income 

(SSI) 

$39.5 billion, 

including $36.7 

billion in benefits 

(including state 

supplements) in 

2004. 

Yes. Some states 

provide state 

supplements (state 

benefits included in 

total). 

Yes. Social Security 

Administration. 

Administers directly. 

Temporary 

Assistance for 

Needy Families 

(TANF) 

$25.8 billion in 2004, 

including $10.4 

billion for cash 

benefits. 

No. States must spend 

a specified amount of 

their own funding 

(maintenance of effort 

or MOE spending). 

No. HHS, state and local 

welfare agencies. 

Child Care 

Assistance under 

CCDF program 

$9.4 billion, including 

$7.5 billion in direct 

services in 2005. 

No, costs shared with 

states. 

No. HHS, state and local 

welfare or child care 

agencies. 

Housing Programs $22.4 billion for 

Section 8 Housing 

Assistance and $7.5 

billion for public 

housing in 2004. 

Yes. No. HUD, local, quasigovernmental Public 

Housing Authorities, and 

multifamily housing owners 

or management agents. 

Medicaid $305 billion in 2005. No. Federal match 

varies from 50-83 

percent. 

Yes. HHS, state and local 

welfare or health agencies. 

Notes: (1) Many programs also provide categorical eligibility to certain other groups (e.g., recipients of other programs) 

even if they are above these limits. Also note that the federal poverty limit (FPL) for a family of 4 was $19,356 in 2006. 

Source: USDA Explanatory Notes, 2007 (Food Stamps, National School Lunch, WIC); Berube, 2006; Holt, 2006 

(Earned Income Tax Credit); HHS, 2006 (SSI, TANF); Congressional Research Service, 2006 (Housing Programs); 

Child Care Bureau, 2006 (Child Care Assistance); Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, 2007 

(Medicaid). 

6
Administrative Costs 

Administrative activities are defined differently across the different programs, but 

generally include such activities as: application processing or eligibility determination, 

issuance of benefits; development and maintenance of information systems; monitoring 

of program quality and fraud control; program planning, management and evaluation; 

staff training; and outreach (GAO, 2006b). Some programs also define case management 

and provision of services as administrative activities. Certification costs, that is, the 

initial determination of eligibility, calculation of benefit amounts, and re-certification of 

households, account for three-fifths (59 percent) of administrative costs in the Food 

Stamp Program and a significant portion of costs in many other means-tested programs 

(Logan et al., 2006; GAO, 2006b). 

Three measures of administrative costs are presented in this analysis. The Food Stamp 

Program ranks relatively high on the first measure of administrative costs, but in the midrange on two alternate measures. In contrast, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) 

program has low administrative costs under all three measures. 

As discussed further below, the primary measure and one alternate measure focuses on 

administrative costs per benefit dollar issued. (The primary measure excludes work 

program costs, nutrition education, and other ancillary services from the definition of 

administrative costs; the alternate includes them). In a final alternate measure, 

administrative costs are expressed as costs per recipient unit, not costs per benefit dollar 

issued. 

In order to estimate administrative costs per benefit dollars issued, it is necessary to 

determine “benefit dollars” as well as “administrative costs.” For the most part, benefits 

are defined as the cash payment or non-cash voucher going to recipient families, with the 

benefit value simply set as the governmental expenditure on benefits. In the WIC 

program, however, two estimates of food benefits are provided: first, governmental cost 

and second, the value of the food package after adjusting for rebates on infant formula. 

TANF benefits are also valued in two ways, reflecting two conceptual definitions of 

benefits: a narrow one focused exclusively on the monthly cash payments made to 

families and a broad one that includes child care assistance, non-recurrent short-term cash 

benefits, and refundable tax credits.3

 

There are even more methodological issues complicating the measurement and 

comparison of “administrative costs,” as discussed below. 

 

3

 The narrow definition compares $2.4 billion in TANF administrative costs to $10.7 billion issued in cash 

assistance benefits for a cost of 22 cents per benefit dollar, whereas the broad definition compares the same 

administrative costs to $14.8 billion in a broader definition of benefits, for a cost of 16 cents per benefit 

dollar. One argument for the 22-cent estimate is that recipient caseloads (and the forthcoming overpayment 

rates) are limited to the regular monthly cash assistance benefit. One argument for the 16-cent estimate is 

that financial reporting forms indicate that administrative costs associated with TANF child care and other 

benefits should be reported under the administrative expense line-item. 

7
Primary Measure of Administrative Costs. Under the first measure, administrative 

costs across the nine programs vary from up to 41.4 cents per dollar of food benefits 

issued in the WIC program to less than 1.5 cents per dollar of tax credit under the EITC 

program, as shown in Figure 1. With the exception of these two outliers, most programs 

spend 5 to 22 cents per dollar of benefits issued. The Food Stamp Program spends 15.8 

cents per dollar of food stamps issued, in the same range as the 15.5 to 22.1 cents spent 

on the TANF program, and higher than most other programs. The EITC is on the 

extreme low end of the range of programs with regard to administrative costs. 

Figure 1. Estimated Administrative Costs Including Computer Systems but 

Excluding Work Programs (Cents per Benefit Dollar) 

5.1

14

7.7

1.5

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Medicaid

Housing 

Child Care

TANF

SSI

EITC

WIC

School Lunch

Food Stamps 

Reported administrative costs Computer systems and other admin. costs 

 2 to 14

27.8 to 41.4

15.5 to 22.1

**

15.8

8.1

Note: ** See text box on WIC administrative costs on page 10. Numbers shown are total costs, including computer 

systems and other administrative costs. The estimates for school lunch, EITC and housing are particularly rough. As 

noted in the text and footnote 3, the two estimates for WIC and TANF reflect differing estimates of benefit costs. 

Source: Author’s calculations and estimates in the literature, described further in Appendix Table 1.

Methodology and Caveats. These estimates are based on the best available data for 

each program, with the year of analysis ranging from the late 1990s (for housing 

programs) to 2006 (for the three nutrition programs). For six programs, estimates of 

administrative costs were calculated on the basis of budget documents or expenditure 

reports that showed administrative costs as a separate line item from benefits and other 

program costs. For the remaining three programs – housing programs, school lunches 

and the Earned Income Tax credit – estimates were not available in budgetary documents, 

but are rougher estimates found in the literature. 

 

8
To improve cross-program consistency, the administrative expenses in Figure 1 include 

“reported administrative expenses,” plus additional expenses that were judged to be 

clearly administrative in nature. The biggest adjustment is in the Child Care and 

Development Fund, where costs increase from 3.6 to 8.1 cents per dollar in child care 

subsidies, because of the addition of expenditures on computer systems, eligibility 

determinations, and the operation of certification programs – all of which are explicitly 

excluded from the line-item on “administrative costs” (a line-item that is limited to less 

than 5 percent of total expenditures by statute).4 Similar, though smaller, adjustments 

were made in four other programs that had separate line-items for management 

information systems, technical assistance, program integrity, or other activities that are 

generally considered administrative.5

 

Another adjustment concerned subtracting out activities that are classified as 

administrative expenses in some programs, but as expenditures on separate activities in 

other programs. A prime example is spending on work programs. Employment and 

training costs are relatively small in the Food Stamp Program, and often classified as 

Food Stamp administrative expenses (GAO, 2006b; Zedlewski et al., 2006; Logan et al., 

2006). However, spending on work programs and associated supportive services is a 

large component of the TANF program, and some of these same analyses do not count 

TANF work program costs as administrative expenses (GAO, 2006b; Zedlewski, 2006). 

On the one hand, some analysts view work program costs as a cost of program 

administration. On the other hand, work programs are not directly related to eligibility 

determination and benefit distribution, and can be viewed as providing a beneficial 

service to recipients, helping them to enter the labor market. Expenditures on nutrition 

education programs and child care funds targeted to quality improvement activities are 

other examples of expenditures that are difficult to classify as either true administrative 

costs or direct benefits to families.6

Work programs, nutrition education, and other “ancillary services” are excluded from the 

administrative measure shown in Figure 1, not counted as either benefits or 

administrative costs.7

 In fact, one advantage of expressing administrative costs as a 

 

4

 Specifically, the following activities are excluded from administrative costs under CCDF regulations and 

statute: “Eligibility determination and re-determination; Preparation and participation in judicial hearings; 

Child care placement; recruitment, licensing, inspection, reviews and supervision of child care 

placements; Rate setting; Resource and referral services; Training of child care staff; and the establishment 

and maintenance of computerized child care information systems.” (ACF, 2006). 

5

 In the Food Stamp Program, a small adjustment was made by adding 0.2 cents for “other program costs” 

to the 15.6 cents in “state administrative expenses,” for the total of 15.8 cents. See Appendix Table 1 for 

detail on other programs. 

6

 Nutrition education programs encourage recipients of food programs to eat healthier foods and have 

expanded in size in recent years, particularly in the Food Stamp Program. Child care “quality” funds can be 

spent on administrative-like activities such as training and technical assistance, monitoring compliance with 

regulatory requirements, and child care resource and referral services, but they also can be spent on grants 

and loans to providers and higher reimbursement rates for higher quality care (CCB, 2006). 

7

 There are at least two exceptions; I was unable to split out costs for nutrition services from WIC 

administrative costs or work and rehabilitation programs from SSI administrative costs. 

9
percentage of benefits, as is done in this analysis, is the ability to exclude these “nonbenefit, non-administrative” costs from both the numerator and denominator.8

 

Why does WIC have high administrative costs compared to other programs? 

Administrative costs appear higher in the WIC program than in the other eight programs, as 

high as 41.4 cents per dollar of food benefits issued under one measure. Several definitional 

and measurement issues contribute to this result: 

• First, “nutrition services and administration” in the WIC program include a broad range of 

activities, such as referrals to health and social services, breast feeding promotion, and 

nutrition education, as well as eligibility determinations based on income and nutrition 

risk assessments. The nutrition services component is analogous to nutrition education 

and so should be split out from administrative costs – but data are not available to do so. 

• Second, the administrative cost per benefit issued falls from 41 cents to 28 cents if one 

increases the value of the benefits issued to include the large infant formula rebates that 

are received by the government and used to expand funding for food packages. 

• Third, WIC benefits are only $37- $55 per month (depending how one values the rebate), 

and so its administrative costs per benefit dollar are much higher than in programs that 

issue benefits of $400 or more per month (FNS, 2007b). As shown in Figure 3 below, 

WIC is ranked much lower in administrative costs when costs are measured per average 

monthly recipient. 

Finally, WIC is not the only program that provides a lot of services in relationship to benefits 

delivered. At an extreme example, the child support enforcement program spends 100 percent 

of its funds on administrative expenses according to the GAO report on administrative costs. 

Note that a high value is placed on these child support enforcement services, and the program

is regularly touted as cost-effective (GAO, 2006b). 

Despite these adjustments made to the costs shown in Figure 1, some degree of crossprogram differences remains. Federal and state officials are operating under different 

definitions of “administrative activities” when filling out financial reports, and have 

different abilities and motivations for accurately identifying and tracking administrative 

expenses. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on administrative costs 

singled out the Food Stamp Program an example of a program that has a particularly 

broad definition of administrative costs. Both Food Stamp legislation and regulations list 

dozens of specific costs that are included as administrative costs, including such items as 

audit services, advisory councils, building lease management, and certain advertising 

costs (GAO, 2006b). Most other programs are silent on these and other items, or 

explicitly define selected items as not being administrative costs. Cost-allocation issues 

 

8

 Several other researchers simply report administrative costs as a percentage of total program costs (GAO, 

2006b; Zedlewski et al., 2006). Note that if a program spends $20 million on administration, $20 million 

on other activities and $60 million on benefits, there is a significant difference between the percentage of

total program costs spent on administration (20 percent), and the ratio of administrative costs to benefits 

(20:60 or 33 cents per $1.00 of benefits issued on administrative costs). 

10
add further noise to estimates of administrative expenses, especially for households that 

are jointly served by food stamps, Medicaid and TANF (Logan et al., 2006). 

There is even more uncertainty for estimated administrative costs for the remaining three 

programs – housing programs, school lunches and the Earned Income Tax Credit. The 

estimates for housing and EITC were estimated by housing researcher Edward Olsen 

(2003) and tax analysts Janet Holtzblatt and Janet McCubbin (2004). The wide range of 

school lunch estimates (ranging from 2 to 14 cents per dollar) is based on manipulation of 

data found in two evaluations of cost in local school districts (Burthardt et al., 2004; 

GAO, 2002). Estimates for these three programs should be viewed as ball-park estimates, 

providing only a rough sense of magnitude. The EITC estimate of 1.5 cents, for example, 

includes funds specifically appropriated for compliance activities, amounting to 0.5 

percent of 2001 claims, plus an estimate that the costs for IRS to process EITC claims 

and any other administrative costs are unlikely to exceed 1 percent EITC claims. While 

this cost estimate is uncertain, and an earlier “upper bound” estimate was 3 cents, or 

twice as high, either the 1.5 or 3 cent estimate is much lower than the other programs 

(Liebman, 1998). 

Alternative Measures of Administrative Costs. As discussed above, work program 

costs were excluded in Figure 1. Under an alternate definition of administrative costs, all 

non-benefit costs – including expenditures on work programs, supportive services, 

nutrition education, and all ancillary activities – were classified as part of program 

operating costs (see Figure 2A). 

Figure 2A. Full Operating Costs including Work Programs and All Non-Benefit 

Costs (Cents per Benefit Dollar) 

5.1

14

25.7

66.9

138.2

7.7

28.1

18.9

41.9

1.5

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Medicaid

Housing 

Child Care

TANF (Broad benefits)

TANF (Regular Cash)

SSI

EITC 

WIC (Pre-Rebate Value)

WIC (Benefits=Costs)

School Lunch 

Food Stamps 

**

**

2-14

Note: In addition to administrative costs, non-benefits costs include work programs in TANF and food stamps, nutrition 

education in food stamps, breast-feeding counselors in WIC, TANF spending on tax credits and other activities and 

quality improvement activities in child care. ** See textbox on WIC administrative costs. 

Source: Author’s calculations and estimates in the literature, described further in Appendix Table 1. 

11
Under this alternate measure, the Food Stamp Program is in the mid-range of 

administrative costs, spending a total of 18.9 cents (including 15.8 cents on narrowly 

defined administrative costs and 3.1 cents on Food Stamp work programs and nutrition 

education). 

Costs for other programs range from 1.5 cents per benefit dollar in the EITC program to a 

whopping $1.38 spent on benefits other than cash benefits for every $1.00 issued in 

regular TANF cash benefits. Since the large declines in TANF caseloads following 

welfare reform in 1996, the TANF block grant is used to fund a growing number of 

benefits and services beyond direct cash assistance, including work programs, child care 

subsidies, other supportive services, tax credits, administrative costs, and other activities. 

Note that TANF non-benefit costs are still relatively high – 66.9 cents – if child care 

subsidies, non-recurrent payments and tax credits are moved from the “non-benefit” to 

the “benefit” side of the calculation. 

An even broader definition of administrative costs would consider “buried administrative 

costs” to local providers that may be paid out of the program benefits. While families 

receive the full amount of TANF, SSI, food stamp, and WIC benefits, program benefit 

dollars in other programs are provided to local providers, who use some of the benefits 

for administrative costs. For example, in the Medicaid program, medical benefit dollars 

fund not only direct medical services but also the administrative costs incurred by 

hospitals, nursing homes, physicians and other medical providers. One study estimates 

31 percent of total U.S. health expenditures are for insurance overhead and provider 

administrative costs, or 45 cents per non-administrative dollar for health care overall

(Woolhander et al., 2003).

9

 Medicaid also classifies outreach, case management, and 

services as benefits, rather than administrative expenses, in contrast to some other 

programs (GAO, 2006b). 

Likewise, the housing estimate used in this analysis follows a fairly narrow definition of 

administrative costs, classifying much of the operating costs of public housing agencies 

as a housing assistance or benefit expenditure (Olsen, 2003). In another example, as 

much as 6 percent of EITC benefits to families may be deducted for payment to private 

tax preparers, electronic filing fees, and fees for refund anticipation loans (Holt, 2006). 

Note, however, that many EITC recipients may have incurred some of these funds from 

regular tax filing without an EITC, and even if this 6 percent is considered, the EITC 

remains one of the least costly programs to administer. 

It is difficult to estimate “buried administrative costs” that may be paid to local providers 

out of program benefits, but their rough magnitude is suggested in Figure 2B, an alternate 

form of the full operating costs measure shown in Figure 2A. 

 

9

 Administrative costs may be lower in Medicaid than the overall health care system because administrative 

expenses are lower in nursing homes than in other health care sectors, and because Medicaid may have less 

overhead than private insurance companies. 

12
Figure 2B. Full Operating Costs (as in Figure 2A), Plus Rough Indication of Local 

Administrative Costs that may be Buried in Benefit Expenditures 

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Medicaid

Housing 

Child Care

TANF (Broad benefits)

TANF (Regular Cash)

SSI

EITC 

WIC (Pre-Rebate Value)

WIC (Benefits=Costs)

School Lunch 

Food Stamps 

Non-Benefit Costs Buried Admin Costs

**

**

Note: See Figure 2A for non-benefit costs. ** See textbox on WIC administrative costs. Estimates of “buried 

administrative costs,” that is, benefit dollars funding administrative costs of local providers, are suggestive only, and no 

dollar amounts are provided. Source: Figure 2A, and information presented in text. 

The final alternate estimate moves from administrative costs per benefit dollars, to 

administrative costs per recipient unit. While costs per benefit dollar is a useful measure 

for comparing the efficiency of delivering an equivalent dollar of benefits under different 

program strategies (and for making comparisons to overpayments in the next section), 

this metric is not without its peculiarities. For example, if food stamp benefits were 

doubled by legislative action, the administrative costs of benefit delivery would drop in 

half, from 16 cents to 8 cents per dollar, putting food stamps on a par with child care 

assistance. Similarly, one reason that SSI looks so efficient in costs of benefit delivery 

relative to the WIC program is that its monthly benefits are more than ten times higher 

than the WIC food package ($431 compared to $38). 

In fact, both WIC and food stamps rank in the middle range, along with Medicaid, when 

administrative costs are measured per average monthly recipient, as shown in Figure 3. 

The SSI program has higher costs under this measure, along with TANF and child care 

subsidies. The EITC program again has the lowest administrative costs among all the 

programs (costs could not be estimated for two programs under this definition). 

In Figure 3, the unit of analysis is individual recipients in the average monthly caseload. 

If costs were measured as costs per family or household, the Food Stamp Program would 

have rank somewhat higher (because there are more food stamp recipients per unit than in 

13
many other programs). The Food Stamp Program would have lower costs, however, if 

administrative costs were measured per person served at any point in the year (because 

many food stamp recipients receive benefits for only part of the year). In other words, 

the alternate measure presented in Figure 3 is not the only way to measure administrative 

costs per unit, but it illustrates how the primary measure is affected by benefit size. 

Figure 3. Annualized Administrative Costs Per Average Monthly Recipient 

$197

$343

$263

$398

$189

$178

$27

$0 $50 $100 $150 $200 $250 $300 $350 $400

Medicaid

Housing 

Child Care

TANF cash only

SSI

EITC

WIC

School Lunch 

Food Stamps 

??

??

Notes and Source: Administrative costs per person are calculated by applying administrative-cost-to-benefit-dollar 

estimates from Figure 1 to annual benefits (or average monthly benefits multiplied by twelve). This method may 

combine data from different years and so should be viewed as a rough estimate. Average benefits were estimated as 

$94 per person in 2005 for food stamps (USDA, 2007); $38 per person in WIC (CRS, 2006); annual EITC credit of 

$1,788 per filing unit in 2003 (Berube, 2006); $431 per month in SSI in 2004 (DHHS, 2005); $150 per person in 2004 in 

TANF (DHHS, 2006); $3,553 per child in 2005 (CCB, 2005); and annual costs of $3,871 per capita (Kaiser, 2007). 

To sum up the section on administrative costs, the Food Stamp Program ranks relatively 

high in administrative costs under the primary measure, spending 15.8 cents per dollar of 

food stamps issued. However, the Food Stamp program is in the mid-range of 

administrative costs under the alternate measures presented. 

The Earned Income Tax Credit spends much less on administrative costs than the Food 

Stamp Program – or any other program – under any of the measures presented here. The 

EITC program’s low administrative costs of about 1.5 cents per dollar in tax benefits 

distributed is not sensitive to the definition of administrative costs. In general, benefits 

distributed through the tax system have lower costs than traditional benefit programs, in 

part because taxpayers complete the necessary income reporting forms, without 

assistance or verification by taxpayers (Liebman, 1998). The overall effectiveness of the 

EITC in benefit delivery looks less positive, however, when improper payments are taken 

into account. 

14
Improper Payments 

The Food Stamp Program has a long history of monitoring payment accuracy, dating 

back to the 1970s (Zedlewski et al., 2006). Other programs have paid less systematic 

attention to this issue; only five of the nine programs have reported national estimates of 

improper payments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), as now required 

under the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002. State pilot studies have allowed 

a rough estimate of improper payments in a sixth program (child care assistance), leaving 

three programs – Medicaid, TANF, and school lunch – with little or no information on 

overpayments as of the January 2007 issuance of the annual OMB report (OMB, 2007).10 

 

Under the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002, improper payments are defined 

as “any payment that should not have been made or that was made in an incorrect 

amount.” (P.L. 107-300). According to OMB, such improper payments include 

overpayments (too much paid to eligible families, any payment to ineligible families and 

any payment for ineligible services) and underpayments (too little paid to eligible 

families and improper denials of benefits to eligible families) (OMB, 2006b). 11 From a 

theoretical perspective, each dollar paid in overpayment is a dollar that is not available to 

spend on properly issued benefits. Underpayments also reflect errors in a benefit delivery 

system, even though they do not directly increase program costs. 

In 2005, the Food Stamp Program had 4.5 percent in overpaid benefits and 1.3 percent in 

underpayments for a gross improper payment rate of 5.8 percent. Overpayments were 

very high in the EITC, from 23-28 percent of benefits. No other program has 

overpayments as high as the EITC (see Figure 4). However, three programs had no data 

on improper payments and may have quite high error rates. The remaining programs had 

error rates in the same range as the Food Stamp Program (WIC, SSI and housing), or 

mid-way between those in the Food stamp and EITC programs (child care assistance). 

Improper payments may be quite high for Medicaid, TANF, and school lunch; many 

programs have high error rates until they begin the process of monitoring them and taking 

steps to reduce them.12 Moreover, pilot studies have uncovered large overpayments in 

some components of the Medicaid program in some states, and verification projects in the 

National School Lunch Program encounter problems with more than one-third of 

applications subject to verification.13

 

10 The National School Lunch program is expected to report in next year’s report, and TANF, Medicaid and 

CCDF in the following year (OMB, 2007). 

11 Improper denial or termination of benefits to eligible households, are not included in Food Stamp error 

payment rates because there is often insufficient information to determine the correct benefit amount. They 

may similarly be excluded from other programs with underpayment estimates. 

12 The AFDC program which preceded the TANF program had a detailed quality control system, integrated 

with the food stamp quality control system. Because of this history, the TANF program may have lower 

error rates than Medicaid and School Lunch. 

13 A GAO study (2006a) reports that a pilot study in 24 states found error rates ranging from 0.80 percent 

to 54.3 percent for Fee-for-Service components of Medicaid, and from 0 to 7.45 percent for managed care 

components. An analysis of administrative data by the Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation (FNS, 

15
Figure 4. Improper Payments (Cents per Benefit Dollar) 

3.9

14

6.4

4.8

4.5

1.5

1.4

1.3

0.4

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Medicaid

Housing 

Child Care

TANF

SSI

EITC

WIC

School Lunch

Food Stamps 

Overpayments Underpayments

Error rate unknown.

May be large 

Error rate unknown:

May be large 

Error rate unknown

Underpayments 

unknown

Unde payments 

unknown

r 23 to 28

 

Notes and source: See Appendix Table 2 for further details. 

Methodology and Caveats. The overpayment and underpayment error rates shown in Figure 

4 were based on the most recent years for which data are available. In addition to variation in 

years, cross-program comparability in error rates is threatened by definitional issues, sampling 

errors and variability in estimating methodologies, as detailed below. 

 

• Definition of Error. Programs differ in how improper payments are defined. For 

example, in the Food Stamp Program quality control system, benefits are assessed 

for current accuracy (in the month the sample is drawn), whereas in the housing 

programs quality control system, rent calculations are assessed for accuracy as of

the date of the most recent annual recertification, meaning the agency is not 

responsible for detecting changes since certification (FNS, 2003b; HUD, 2006).14 

On the other hand, errors less than $25 are ignored in the Food Stamp Program, 

whereas the corresponding threshold is $5 in housing programs (Logan et al., 

2006; GAO, 2005b). 

2006) reported that 35.1 percent of school lunch applications were in error or did not submit requested 

documentation in a sample of applications subject to verification (non-representative sample). 

14 This difference is not as relevant since introduction of simplified reporting requirements for food stamp 

families under the 2002 Farm bill. While agencies are responsible for ensuring that families have current 

income below 130 percent of poverty, the level of benefits is based on income at the date of application or 

certification; in other words, food stamp agencies are no longer responsible for small income changes 

within certification periods for families who are covered by the simplified reporting requirements. 

16
• Documentation Requirements. There also is variation in the treatment of 

families who do not provide requested documentation or show up for an audit 

interview: the higher estimate in the range for the EITC assumes all such cases are 

ineligible while the lower estimate assumes such cases have the same error rate as 

audited cases (Holtzblatt and McCubbin, 2004).15 

• Underpayments. The challenge of appropriately defining erroneous payments is 

also illustrated by the issue of underpayment error rates. While recent OMB 

guidance states that improper denials of benefits should be included in improper 

payments, most programs do not do so, due to data limitations. 

• Sampling Error. Estimates of improper payments are based on review of a 

sample of cases, and as such are subject to error. Uncertainty due to sampling 

error is much larger in some programs than others; baseline error rates for housing 

programs were based on a sample of about 2,400 cases compared to Food Stamp 

quality control samples of over 48,000 cases nationally (HUD, 2006). 

• Sampling Design. Estimates also can be inaccurate if the sample is not nationally 

representative, such as when certain types of cases are excluded from the sample 

(e.g., direct certification cases are excluded from preliminary estimates of errors 

in the National School Lunch Program) (FNS, 2006). 

• Detection of Error. Programs also may differ in their ability and willingness to 

detect and report errors. In the Food Stamp Program, one-third of the cases 

reviewed by state quality control reviewers are re-reviewed by federal reviewers, 

to improve quality of the state review efforts (Logan et al., 2006). Other 

programs do not have as systematic procedures for a second level of review, and 

so may detect fewer errors. 

Setting aside these caveats, it is possible to add the estimates of erroneous payments in 

Figure 4 to the estimates of administrative costs from Figure 1, since both have been 

measured as cents per dollar of benefits issued. The combined sum of these costs may be 

considered the total costs of benefit delivery, or the amount of dollars that have been 

diverted from benefits to eligible families. 

Combined Measure of Benefit Delivery Costs. The combined measure of 

administrative costs and overpayments shows that the Food Stamp Program has lower 

benefit delivery costs than the EITC (see Figure 5). For every dollar paid out in EITC 

benefits, 24-30 cents is spent on either administrative costs or overpayments. In the Food 

Stamp Program, the total cost of benefit delivery is 20.3 cents (including 15.8 cents in 

administrative costs and 4.5 cents in overpayments). 16 The WIC program remains the 

 

15 In a document issued on August 6, 2006, OMB clarified that cases must be considered in error if there is 

insufficient documentation to determine whether payments were made accurately. 16 In Figure 5, improper payments are represented by overpayments only, not including underpayments. 

The primary reason for this simplification is that only four programs have estimated underpayments. Note 

17
program with the highest benefit delivery costs per dollar of benefits, 33 to 46 cents per 

dollar spent on food package. At the other extreme, the SSI program, with both low 

administrative costs and low error rates, spends 14 cents in combined administrative costs 

and overpayments per benefit dollar issued. 

Figure 5: Combined Administrative Costs and Error Rates (Cents per Benefit 

Dollar) 

5.1

14

8.1

15.5

7.7

1.5

27.8

2

15.8

3.9

14

6.4

23

4.8

4.5

0 10 20 30 40 5

Medicaid

Housing 

Child Care

TANF cash 

SSI

EITC

WIC

School Lunch 

Food Stamps 

0

Administrative costs Overpayments

error rate unknown

 error rate unknown to 14

to 28

error rate unknown

 to 41.4

to 22.1

 

Notes and source: Sum of measures from Figures 1 and 4. 

Program Access: Recipient Burden and Participation Rates 

In this analysis, two elements of benefit delivery systems are considered together under 

the rubric of program access: 

• Recipient burden or the costs to the recipients to apply and maintain eligibility. 

The full cost of a benefit delivery system includes costs borne directly by 

applicants, such as time spent on the application, transportation or other out-ofpocket costs, inconvenience or negative interactions with bureaucratic systems, 

that programs with high overpayments also tend to have high improper payments overall. In particular, the 

data in Figure 4 suggest that a ranking of programs by overpayments would be nearly identical to the 

ranking by total improper payments (with the exception that the WIC program has higher costs than the SSI 

program on the basis of overpayments, but lower costs on the basis of combined over- and underpayments). 

18
and stigma. While not incurred by government agencies, these costs are part of 

the social cost of a program such as the Food Stamp Program. 

• Program participation rates, which measure the extent to which the program 

succeeds or fails in reaching eligible families. From the perspective of 

government budgets, non-participation by eligible families saves money for the 

taxpayer. In this study, however, non-participation by eligible families is seen as 

a “cost” of an inefficient benefit delivery system that program administrators want 

to minimize. 

Efficient benefit delivery systems are those with low recipient costs and low amounts of 

unpaid benefits (that is, high program participation rates), as well as low spending on 

administrative costs and low loss of benefits paid erroneously. 

Recipient Burden. There is relatively little literature on recipient burden. Sheila 

Zedlewski and colleagues have compiled information about the application process for 

four programs analyzed here: food stamps, the EITC, child care subsidies and Medicaid 

(Zedlewski et al., 2006). Further information on costs of the food stamp application are 

also reported by Janet Currie (2004), who summarizes a 1999 study that found the 

average food stamp application took about five hours of time to complete, including two 

trips to a food stamp office and $10.31 (6 percent of average monthly benefits) in out-ofpocket costs. Each re-certification took about half as much time as the initial application 

(2.5 hours of time and at least one trip). Similar information was reported in a 2003 

study of local office practices, which reported that half the caseload was in offices that 

required two or more office visits to complete all application requirements and that recertifications imposed additional time and monetary costs (Gabor et al., 2003).17 

For EITC applicants who are already filing for a tax refund, filing for an EITC benefit is 

relatively simple, requiring completion of a one-page form that can be submitted on-line 

or through the mail. The burden is much higher for the minority of applicants who would 

not otherwise have to file tax returns; the estimated time burden for completing the 

1040EZ/1040A is 2.9 hours for completing and submitting the form, plus 8.2 hours for 

record-keeping, tax planning and other activities, and $72 in out-of-pocket costs (IRS, 

2006). 

Some analysts consider the high use of paid tax preparers an indication of high levels of 

recipient burden. In 1999, 66 percent of EITC claimants used a private tax preparer, 

compared to 54 percent of all returns. Fees from private preparers, electronic filing and 

refund anticipation loans equaled an estimated 6 percent of total EITC refunds in one 

study (Holt, 2006). However, some of these fees would have been paid in absence of the 

EITC. 

There was not sufficient information across the nine programs to provide dollar estimates 

of costs to recipients. Instead, I simply categorized the nine programs into two levels of 

 

17 Recipient burden may be lower since the adoption of simplified reporting and other changes enacted in 

the 2002 Farm Bill. 

19
recipient burden, low and high, as summarized below (see also Appendix Table 4 for 

fuller detail): 

Two programs, EITC and the National School Lunch Program, rank relatively low in 

recipient burden. Neither program requires a face-to-face interview or collection of 

information on assets or expenses. Application forms for school lunches are sent home by 

schools to parents and are often one-page forms that can be filled out and returned to 

schools with relative ease. As noted above, the EITC tax form is also a one-page form, 

which can be submitted through the mail, on-line, or with the assistance of private tax 

preparers. Documentation is supplied through the standard W-2 forms. 

The remaining seven programs are classified as high in recipient burden. 

• The TANF and Food Stamp Programs probably have the heaviest burden, 

requiring recipients to apply in person, bringing extensive documentation of 

income, assets, expenses, citizenship status, and household composition, and a 

readiness to meet program work requirements. 

• The SSI program has extensive requirements for those attempting to qualify on 

the basis of disability, though ongoing recertification is relatively straightforward.18

• Medicaid requirements are similar to those for TANF and food stamps (and a 

joint application is used in some states), though applicants are often assisted by 

presumptive eligibility, out-stationing of caseworkers in hospitals and other health 

care settings, and waiver of assets requirements. 

• WIC, child care and housing programs also require face-to-face interviews, and so 

are also classified as relatively high in recipient burden. At the interview, WIC 

applicants must be screened for nutritional risk, a procedure that includes 

measurement of height and weight and a blood test for anemia. However, such 

assessments are generally provided at WIC clinics at no cost to the recipient. 

Program Participation. In addition to being important in their own right, recipient costs 

are of concern because of their negative effect on program participation rates. As costs of 

applying for benefits increase, families may decide not to participate, judging the benefits 

not worth the time, out-of-pocket costs, or hassle of application. This decision is 

obviously dependent on the size of the benefit as well as the application costs; spending 

10 hours to apply for benefits worth $2,000 a year is more attractive than spending 10 

hours to apply for benefits worth $200 a year. 

The most recent participation data suggest that 59 percent of eligible families participate 

in the Food Stamp Program, a lower rate than the 75-86 percent participation rate among 

families (tax-paying units) eligible for the EITC program. A comparison to the three 

other entitlement programs indicates that the Food Stamp Program with its 65 percent 

participation rate among eligible individuals has similar participation rates to Medicaid 

 

18 Four-fifths (82 percent) of SSI recipients qualified under a disability condition, though some of these 

recipients are now 65 or older. The remainder qualified as blind (1 percent) or elderly (17 percent) (HHS, 

2006). 

20
and SSI (66 to 70 percent), but somewhat lower than the school lunch program (75 

percent). 

Figure 6: Program Access: Recipient Burden and Participation Rates 

 

25

21

46

57

68

59

65

75

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 9

Housing**

Child Care

TANF**

WIC

Medicaid

SSI

EITC**

School Lunch 

Food Stamp (Family) **

Food Stamps(Individual)

0

Grant Programs Entitlement Programs

High burden

High burden

66 to 70

75 to 86

Low burden

Low burden

High burden

High burden

High burden

High burden

High burden

High burden

Notes: ** Participation rate is measured among families, not individuals. 

Source: Appendix Table 4 and Appendix Table 5.

The four other programs – WIC, TANF, housing, and child care assistance – are grant 

programs, where families may be turned away or placed on waiting lists when funding 

runs short. Participation rates are considerably lower than among entitlement programs, 

ranging from 21 percent for child care assistance to 57 percent for WIC. Both housing 

and child care have long waiting lists, and serve only one-fifth to one-fourth of those who 

are income eligible. Some analysts note that WIC does not have waiting lists and is close 

to an entitlement program in its operation (Currie, 2003). Until 1996, the Aid to Families 

with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, the predecessor to TANF, was an entitlement 

program, but TANF is a block grant.19 

Methodology and Caveats. A fair amount of uncertainty surrounds the estimates of 

participation rates shown in Figure 6. In addition, the estimates were compiled from 

many different studies, and the survey data and methodology used to compute eligibility 

and participation rates may have varied significantly across programs. 

 

19 Indeed, family participation rates have dropped under the AFDC/TANF programs, from a peak of 84 

percent in 1995, to a low of 46 percent in 2003, in part as a result of the 1996 changes (HHS, 2006). 

21
Eligibility estimates for each program must be drawn from information collected through 

national surveys of households, because there is no programmatic data on families who 

never come into the program office to apply for benefits. These household surveys 

collect information on family income, but do not generally collect the full set of 

information needed to determine eligibility. Some eligibility estimates simply rely on 

reported annual family income and age of family members to provide rough estimates of 

program eligibility. More sophisticated estimates add imputed information on assets, 

disability status, immigrant eligibility, family composition, monthly dynamics in income 

amounts and work status, and other variables to refine the estimates. 

In addition to problems of imputed information, estimates are subject to the uncertainty 

introduced by using a sample of 50,000 households or fewer to represent the entire 

country. For example, GAO (2006a) reports a sampling error of 2.7 percentage points for 

the EITC participation rate of 75 percent. 

Finally, estimates are not easily compared across programs. Estimates are based on 

models of various levels of sophistication and drawn from data from different years. 

And, as noted in Figure 6, half the programs measure participation as a percentage of 

individuals while the other half report family participation rates. 20

Participation Rates as a Percentage of Benefit Dollars 

It also is possible to express participation rates as a percentage of benefits to all eligible 

families as well as a percentage of eligible families or individuals. In the EITC program, 

89.9 percent of potential benefits are distributed (compared to 75 percent of eligible 

families participating) and in the Food Stamp Program, 80 percent of potential benefits 

are issued (compared to 65 percent of eligible families participating).21 

To facilitate comparison to administrative costs and improper payments, these benefit 

participation measures can be expressed as 11.2 cents in unclaimed EITC benefits and 25 

cents in undistributed food stamps for every benefit dollar issued. However, this 

calculation is of limited use, because benefit participation rates were found for only two 

programs. Furthermore, it may not be appropriate to treat cents not paid to eligible 

families as equivalent to cents in improper payments or administrative costs.22 

 

20 Participation rates tend to be higher when expressed as a percentage of individuals than as a percentage 

of families because larger families participate more than small families. This pattern can be seen in the 

Food Stamp Program, which provides both measures. 

21 Benefit participation rates tend to be higher than other measures of participation, because families with 

children are more likely to join the program than childless individuals, and more generally, families are 

more likely to participate if they are eligible for larger benefits. 

22 The calculation implicitly suggests that the benefit participation rate should be 100 percent. One might 

argue that a 100 percent benefit rate is no more unrealistic than 0 in administrative costs, or 0 in error rates, 

the implicit goals suggested by trying to minimize both administrative costs and minimize error rates. Still, 

to say that there is a 25 cent cost to the Food Stamp Program in undistributed benefits, compared to a 17-19 

cent cost in administration and a 5 percent cost in overpayments seems to put disproportionate weight on 

the coverage issue. 

22
Summary of Benefit Delivery Costs 

This section of the paper has compared the costs of delivering benefits in the Food Stamp 

Program to benefit delivery costs in eight other programs providing assistance to lowincome individuals and families. A summary of these measures is presented in Table 2, 

where the programs are ranked by the primary measure of administrative costs. 

Under the primary definition, administrative costs range from 1.5 cents to 42 cents per 

dollar of benefits, with most programs having costs ranging from 5 to 22 cents. The 

Food Stamp Program ranks relatively high in administrative costs, spending 15.8 

cents per dollar of food stamps issued. In contrast, the Earned Income Tax Credit 

(EITC) program spends only 1.5 cents per dollar of tax credit. 

Table 2: Summary Table of Benefit Delivery Costs 

Administrative Costs 

 (Cents per Benefit) 

Improper Payments 

(Cents per Benefit) 

Program Access 

Program Primary 

Definition 

All nonbenefit costs Overpayments Underpayments Recipient 

Burden 

Participation 

Rate (Percent 

of Eligibles) 

WIC 

WIC post-rebate 

41.4 

27.8 

41.9 

28.1 

6.9 0.5 High 57 

TANF cash 

TANF broad 

22.1 

15.5 

138. 

69.9 

High 

-- 

46** 

-- 

Food Stamps 15.8 16.2 4.5 1.3 High 65(59**) 

Housing 14* 14* 3.9 1.5 High 25** 

Child Care 8.1 25.7 14* High 21 

SSI 7.7 7.7 6.4 1.4 High 68 

School Lunch 2-14* 2-14* Low 75 

Medicaid 5.1 5.1 High 66-70 

EITC 1.5* 1.5* 23-28 Low 75-86** 

Note: * Estimate is particularly rough. ** Participation rate is measured among families, not individuals. 

Source: Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 4, Figure 6. 

Overpayment rates range from 4 cents to up to 28 cents and possibly higher. 

Underpayments are relatively small (0.5 to 1.5 cents) under existing measures in the four 

programs providing this information. The Food Stamp Program has much lower 

improper payments than the EITC. In fact, under a combined measure of 

administrative costs and overpayments the Food Stamp Program has lower benefit 

delivery costs than the EITC.

Recipient burden is not quantified, but are categorized as high for seven programs and 

low for two programs. Coverage rates range from 55-86 percent among entitlement 

programs and from 21-57 percent among grant programs. The Food Stamp Program 

ranks somewhat worse than EITC on measures of program access (recipient burden 

and program participation rates). 

As discussed throughout this section, administrative costs cover somewhat different 

activities and may be measured differently across the nine programs. This analysis has 

made certain adjustments to the “administrative expenses” line item in budgetary 

23
documents, by adding in additional items where appropriate (e.g., costs for computer 

systems), and by consistently excluding work program costs (and adding them back in 

under one of the alternative measures). The resulting measures are still imperfect, 

however. Similar cautions apply to the comparisons of improper payments and program 

coverage, which are based on estimates drawn from the literature without adjustments to 

improve cross-program comparability (other than carefully delineating the treatment of 

underpayments in improper payment rates and the unit of analysis in program 

participation rates). 

In sum, one should be wary in overemphasizing small differences in the quantitative 

measures displayed in Table 2. Some differences are trivial compared to the uncertainty 

of the estimates (e.g., the apparent difference in administrative costs between the child 

care and SSI program or the small difference between SSI and WIC in overpayments). 

At the extremes of the table, however, the differences are strikingly large, providing 

indication of differences that go beyond measurement noise and methodological 

differences. 

 

In particular, this systematic analysis confirms the view that the EITC and the Food 

Stamp Program present strikingly different examples of benefit delivery. The Food 

Stamp Program spends 15.8 cents in administrative costs and 5-6 cents in improper 

payments, whereas the EITC spends only 1.5 cents in administrative costs, but 23-28 

cents in overpayments. The two programs also differ somewhat in program access, with 

higher participation among EITC families, although the differences are not as large on 

this dimension. The issue of tradeoffs among benefit delivery costs is explored in more 

detail in the next section. 

24
III. Tradeoffs in Benefit Delivery Costs

Suggestive Evidence from the Cross-Program Analysis 

The contrast between the EITC program and Food Stamp Programs suggests there may 

be a trade-off between high administrative costs and low error rates and vice versa. 

Further support for such a trade-off is suggested in Figure 7, which shows the 

relationship between administrative costs and error rates across the six programs that 

have data on overpayments. It is not just the Food Stamp Program, but also WIC and 

subsidized housing programs that fall into the pattern of programs with relatively high 

administrative costs and relatively low improper payments. Medicaid and National 

School Lunch are not shown on this graph due to missing data. If they have high error 

rates, they may join the EITC program as examples of programs with low administrative 

costs and high improper payments. 

Figure 7: Relationship between Administrative Costs and Overpayments 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Administrative Costs

Overpayments

EITC

Food Stamps

Child care

SSI

Housing

WIC

Source: Figure 1, Figure 4. 

There are a number of reasons to expect that greater spending on administrative activities 

will lead to reduced overpayments, whether the overpayments are a result of agency 

error, client mistakes, or intentional client error (fraud). For example, agency error may 

be reduced by improved information systems, investments in staff training, and 

compensation levels that attract and retain qualified personnel. In addition, increased 

staff for investigating and prosecuting fraudulent clients and providers can cut down on 

fraud, directly and by deterring those contemplating fraudulent behavior. 

25
Participation rates add a third possible dimension to the tradeoffs observed in benefit 

delivery costs. A high initial investment in detailed applications with face-to-face 

interviews and upfront documentation has some payoff in terms of lower error rates. But 

it also can have a chilling effect on program participation rates. The relationship between 

administrative costs and program participation rates across programs is shown in Figure 

8. In Figure 8A, the analysis is limited to the five entitlement programs; in Figure 8B it is 

extended to include WIC and TANF, two grant programs that operate somewhat like 

entitlement programs. 

Figure 8: Relationship between Administrative Costs and Participation Rates 

8A: Among Five Entitlement Programs

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 1 Administrative Costs

Participation Rates

EITC

Food 

Stamps

SSI

School Lunch

Medicaid

8

8B: Among Five Entitlement Programs, TANF, and WIC

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Administrative Costs

Participation Rates

EITC

Food Stamps

SSI

School Lunch

Medicaid

TANF

WIC

Source: Figure 1, Figure 5. 

26
Both figures provide some evidence that higher administrative costs are indeed associated 

with lower participation rates. However, this relationship is only suggestive, given the 

relatively narrow variation in participation rates and the roughness of the measures. 

It would be interesting to graph the relationship between program participation rates and 

error rates, but there would be only three data point because only three entitlement 

programs provided information on both participation rates and overpayments. 

A review of cross-program research and studies of the Food Stamp and EITC programs 

provides further evidence and discussion of tradeoffs among administrative costs, error 

rates, and program participation. 

Review of Literature on Benefit Delivery Tradeoffs 

In a review of administrative costs in several programs, the Government Accountability 

Office speculates that the Food Stamp Program’s extensive system for monitoring error 

rates may help explain the relatively high administrative costs for the Food Stamp 

Program (GAO, 2006b). While explicit anti-fraud and quality control activities represent 

less than 10 percent of administrative spending, attention to error rates is likely to have a 

major effect on overall certification costs as staff devote time to ensuring accuracy 

throughout the eligibility determination and recertification process.23

A recent study of cross-state variation within the Food Stamp Program presents empirical 

evidence of a trade-off between administrative costs and error rates. In a multivariate 

analysis of annual administrative costs and error rates across 51 states over 13 years, 

Christopher Logan and his colleagues (2006) found a strong negative relationship 

between administrative costs and error rates, under a variety of model specifications. 

Specifically, they found that a 10 percent increase in administrative effort reduced 

overpayments by between 1 and 4 percent (holding underpayments constant).24

Attention to program integrity also can affect program access. A GAO review of 

program participation across a dozen programs reports that income verification 

procedures and other application processes are one factor affecting program participation. 

One example they cite is a WIC study that found lower participation in states that 

required documentation of income than in other states (before proof of income was 

required in all states) (GAO, 2005a). 

 

23 Note that overall certification costs represent 59 percent of all administrative expenses; fraud control 5 

percent and quality control and other miscellaneous studies, 3 percent. (Logan et al., 2006). 

24 Administrative costs were measured on a per household basis and adjusted for wages in each state, to 

more directly measure administrative effort. Error rates were based on overpayments, underpayments and 

incorrect eligibility decisions. The elasticity between administrative effort and error rates was lower in the 

post-1996 period, leading the authors to speculate that caseworker time may have been absorbed by the 

challenges of implementing the legislation, administrative costs allocated to the Food Stamp Program may 

have increased for joint welfare/food stamp cases being billed to the Food Stamp Program, or states may be 

approaching the point of diminishing returns in the expenditure of effort to reduce error rates. (Logan et al., 

2006). 

27
A study of changes within the Food Stamp Program also found that administrative 

procedures adopted to reduce error rates had a negative effect on program participation. 

When certification periods were shortened, so that food stamp households were required 

to come into the Food Stamp office more often, there was a reduction in error rates, but 

also in program participation rates. The more frequent review closed more cases 

correctly, but also closed cases that continued to be eligible (Mills et al., 2004). 

While some observers believe that the Food Stamp Program is unduly focused on 

program integrity, the opposite concern is expressed regarding the EITC. Rates of noncompliance in the EITC are so high as to cast doubt on the use of the tax system to 

deliver benefits to low-income individuals and families (Liebman, 1998).25 

Some analysts note that high EITC error rates occur in the context of a tax system that 

overall has fairly significant levels of non-compliance. The Internal Revenue Service 

estimates that 13.4 percent of non-EITC tax refunds are paid incorrectly, or about half the 

error rate of EITC tax refunds (and triple the overpayment rate of the Food Stamp 

Program). 

In recent years, increased funding has been appropriated for IRS activity focused on 

reducing EITC non-compliance. Such appropriations reflect a willingness to spend more 

on administrative costs in order to reduce error rates. However, there also has been 

concern that increased spending on noncompliance activities in EITC may discourage 

some eligible taxpayers from receiving the credit (Liebman, 1998). 

One reason errors are so much higher in EITC than in the Food Stamp Program – and 

administrative costs are so much lower – is that tax audits generally occur after 

distribution of refunds and apply to only a small percentage of claimants, in contrast to 

the upfront documentation required of all food stamp recipients before issuance of any 

benefits (Sammartino et al., 2002). In 2003, IRS proposed requiring families to complete 

pre-certification forms before applying for the EITC, in an effort to further reduce noncompliance. This effort was vigorously opposed by those concerned by its negative 

effect on program participation by eligible families, and the proposal was rejected 

(Greenstein, 2003). 

One should not conclude that there is an invariable relationship between higher 

administrative costs and reduced error rates, or between higher program access and 

higher error rates. In fact, the EITC program provides an interesting example of a 

program reform that dramatically reduced error rates without any increase in 

administrative costs or reduction in participation rates. In 1990, Congress simplified the 

program by dropping a complex “support test” requirement that contributed to the high 

error rate. Under the old support test, the taxpayer claiming the credit was only eligible if 

providing 50 percent of the financial support for the qualifying child (a calculation 

 

25 Common errors in EITC claims include incorrectly claiming a qualified child (each child can only be 

claimed by one relative and must live with the taxpayer more than six months of the year), errors in filing 

status of taxpayer (single claimants who are in fact still legally married) and underreporting of income 

(OMB, 2006a; Holtzblatt, 2004). 

28
requiring nuanced treatment of welfare payments and other income from outside the 

family). Current statute merely requires that the child reside in the same household as the 

taxpayer for at least 6 months (Holtzblatt and McCubbin, 2004). A 1993 study by the 

Government Accountability Office estimated that the removal of the support test caused 

the EITC overpayment rate to drop from 35 to 21 percent (Liebman, 1998). This 

program simplification – and Food Stamp reforms discussed in more detail below – 

provide examples of how changes in program design can affect benefit delivery costs. 

The Role of Benefit Targeting in Explaining Benefit Delivery Costs 

Thus far, the analysis has ignored a critical factor affecting the cost of benefit delivery – 

the nature of the program: its goals and programmatic rules, administrative procedures, 

and types of households served. 

Imagine two programs that both give out an average of $200 per month in benefits to 

families with children. Further assume that the first program simply gives out $200 in a 

flat benefit to all persons who meet certain income limits, or even simpler gives out 

$2400 annually. Imagine the second program gives out benefits that vary from $10-$500, 

with benefits calculated under very detailed and complicated rules on counting income, 

deducting specific expenses, defining household composition, and restricting eligibility 

of particular groups viewed as undeserving. One might easily imagine that the latter 

program has both higher administrative costs and higher error payments than the former 

program. 

In this section, the analysis of benefit delivery costs is enhanced by considering such 

costs in the broader context of program design. While there are many aspects of program 

design, my primary focus here is on benefit targeting, because of its effect on 

administrative costs. The essential argument is that programs that target benefits more 

tightly on needy families have to spend more time on program administration, in order to 

determine who is needy, and how to adjust benefits to circumstances of needy families. 

In addition, complexity of eligibility rules can lead to more scope for error, as well as 

impose more burdens on families applying for benefits. 

To illustrate what is meant by program targeting, consider the following description of 

why the Food Stamp Program is a fairly complex program with tighter benefit targeting 

than several other benefit programs: 

• Benefits are distributed monthly, as opposed to the annual disbursement of 

benefits in the EITC program. 

• Benefits vary with household income, rather than remaining flat with income, as 

they do for the WIC program. This means that fluctuations in household income 

have much more effect on food stamp benefits than on WIC program benefits. 

• Net household income is based on numerous exclusions and deductions, and 

special rules govern the treatment of energy assistance, education loans, and other 

forms of income. In contrast, the National School Lunch Program simply counts 

total income and sources of income, often collected in a one-page form.

29
• Recipients must meet many requirements other than income eligibility, 

including assets tests, work requirements, and restrictions against certain 

categories such as individuals on strike, certain post-secondary students, and 

various categories of immigrants. In contrast, eligibility for school lunches is 

based strictly on income. On the other hand, the disability requirements under 

SSI are an example of more complex requirements than those in the Food Stamp 

Program. 

• Extensive documentation is required to verify income amounts and expenses to 

be deducted. Contrasting examples are the EITC, which only requires a W-2 

form up front, and SSI, with its heavy requirements for medical documentation of 

disability. 

• Some recipients experience frequent changes in income and household 

composition, much more so than the relatively stable elderly and disabled 

population on SSI. 

• Significant attention is spent on tracking changes in household income and 

recertifying households for benefits. Over one third (36 percent) of food stamp 

spells last less than four months. In contrast, eligibility is determined annually 

for the EITC, and also, in practice, for the National School Lunch Program. 

• Benefits must be spent on food items in participating grocery stores. Under 

this dimension, the Food Stamp Program is probably in the mid-range of 

complexity, between cash programs and other non-cash programs. Though food 

stamp benefits are limited to food purchases, and so require an administrative 

procedure which authorizes allowable food purchases in authorized grocery stores 

and other retailers, it is probably simpler in operation than other non-cash 

programs, such as Medicaid and child care assistance, which must determine the 

eligibility of various services and providers, as well as the eligibility of clients. 

In sum, the Food Stamp Program is a complex program, with detailed eligibility and 

documentation requirements, providing monthly benefits that vary with income to 

families that experience frequent changes in household income and composition. In 

contrast, the EITC and National School Lunch Program are relatively simple programs, 

with annual eligibility determinations based primarily on family income. As already 

noted, these two programs also are notable for having low administrative costs and high 

participation rates. 

Complexity rankings also were developed for other programs through a systematic 

review of programmatic rules, application processes, client characteristics, and other 

factors (detailed in Appendix Table 5). An examination of the five entitlement programs, 

presented in Table 3, provides some evidence of a general pattern of higher complexity 

being associated with higher administrative costs and lower program participation. 26 

 

26 Medicaid is unusual in being a highly complex program with apparently low administrative costs (and 

unknown error rates). The low administrative costs partly reflects the fact that some administrative-like 

activities are classified as medical expenditures or benefits, as discussed above and depicted in Figure 2B). 

In addition, benefits per capita are relatively high. The Medicaid program was ranked as high in 

complexity because the program must determine eligibility of providers, service and clients, as well as 

provider payment levels. SSI was ranked as moderately complex, because its initial eligibility 

30
However, Table 3 does not provide evidence in support of the hypothesis that simpler 

programs have lower error rates as a result of fewer sources of error. In fact, programs 

with higher rates of complexity appear to have lower error rates, perhaps many of the 

complex programs require more collection of up-front information to determine and 

verify eligibility, and in doing so, reduce the potential for errors. 

Table 3: Balancing Benefit Targeting and Benefit Delivery Costs 

Program Benefit 

Targeting and 

Program 

Complexity 

Administrative 

Costs 

(Cents per 

benefit dollar) 

Overpayments 

(Cents per 

benefit dollar) 

Recipient 

Burden 

Participation 

Rates 

(Percent of 

Eligibles) 

Food Stamps High 15.8 4.5 High 

burden 

65 

59** 

Medicaid High 5.1 May be large High 

burden 

66-70 

SSI Moderate 7.7 6.4 High 

burden 

68 

School Lunch Mod/Low 2-14* May be large Low 

burden 

75 

EITC Low 1.5* 23-28 Low 

burden 

75-86** 

Notes: * Estimate is rough. ** Participation rate is measured among families, not individuals.

Source: Appendix Table 5 and Table 2. 

One of the implications of Table 3 is that efforts to simplify program administration may 

reduce administrative costs and expand program access. Such proposals may be less 

successful, however, in reducing error rates. 

The GAO review of administrative costs in seven programs also highlights the 

relationship between program complexity and administrative costs. When state officials 

asked why administrative costs were so high in some programs, they responded that costs 

were higher than necessary in some programs because of “complex administrative 

processes and outdated information systems that require substantial staff time” (GAO, 

2006b, p. 4). Building on this perspective, the GAO recommended that policy-makers 

and administrators take steps to simplify policies (including eligibility determinations and 

federal funding structures) and facilitate technology improvements (GAO, 2006b). 

This GAO recommendation is the latest in a long history of calls for simplification and 

streamlining in order to reduce administrative costs and improve recipient access to 

federal benefit programs. At the extreme end of simplification, some analysts have called 

for restructuring the Food Stamp Program to follow the example of the EITC program in 

using the tax system to deliver benefits, because of low benefit delivery costs. The next 

section of this paper reviews two of these proposals for structural reform, as part of a 

 determination (requiring medical documentation) is balanced by a stable population with fewer monthly 

changes (see Appendix Table 5). 

31
32

more general discussion of the balance between benefit targeting and benefit delivery 

costs in the Food Stamp program. 

Benefit Targeting and Benefit Delivery Costs in the Food Stamp 

Program 

Over the past dozen years, a number of changes have been made to the Food Stamp 

Program, providing a range of examples of program modifications that affect benefit 

targeting, program access, error rates, and administrative costs. Eight examples are 

briefly analyzed in this final section to illustrate the interplay of program complexity and 

the various costs of benefit delivery. As shown in Table 4, these include two examples of 

Food Stamp reforms that increased program complexity (greater targeting to immigrants, 

and additional restrictions on able-bodied recipients) and two examples of reforms that 

that streamlined the program (a series of simplifications in recipient reporting, and 

simpler and more liberal asset rules). Two other examples are technological changes, to 

highlight the fact that benefit delivery costs can be affected by technology as well as 

program simplification. The two final examples are bold proposals for structuring the 

Food Stamp Program more in line with the EITC program. 

Tighter Targeting of Who Receives Benefits. The first two changes are eligibility 

restrictions that were introduced in 1996, as part of the broader welfare reforms enacted 

under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 

(PRWORA). Non-citizens were banned from receiving food stamps until they became 

citizens, a change that terminated benefits for a significant number of legal immigrants 

(undocumented aliens were already barred from the program prior to 1996). In addition, 

able-bodied adult food stamp recipients without dependents (ABAWDS) were limited to 

receiving only 3 months of benefits in a 36-month period unless they were working or in 

work programs at least 20 hours per week. 

From the framework of benefit cost delivery, both changes are examples of reforms that 

increase administrative and work program costs (particularly after the 1996 reforms were 

modified to restore eligibility to certain immigrants able to document legal residence in 

the United States before August 22, 1996 and to increase funds to enhance the capacity of 

work programs to serve ABAWDS). In addition, both reforms probably reduced 

participation among eligible participants (e.g., citizen children of non-citizens, and ablebodied adults without dependents who would rather not participate at all than participate 

for three months). These were trade-offs that were acceptable to policy-makers, who 

were more concerned with reducing total costs and focusing eligibility more tightly on 

those perceived to be more needy (the disabled, elderly and those with children) and 

more deserving (citizens). 
Table 4: Viewing Reforms as Balancing Delivery Costs and Benefit Targeting 

Proposals Benefit targeting Administrative Costs Improper Payments Program Access Immigrant Restrictions 

Tighter targeting, restricting benefits to citizens. 

Higher administrative costs 

Uncertain. Additional rule adds potential for errors, but limiting eligibility to citizens may reduce errors in distinguishing among different categories of non-citizens. 

Less access: Lowechildren, higher bu

Able-bodied Adults without Dependents (ABAWDS) 

Tighter targeting, restrict benefits to “deserving poor.” 

Higher administrative and work program costs 

Uncertain. Additional rule adds potential for errors, but limiting participation of able-bodied reduces size of population with frequent income changes. 

Less access: Lowebodied adults. 

Simplified Reporting Requirements 

Looser targeting (benefits do not adjust as quickly to family circumstances) 

Lower administrative costs 

Lower error rates More access: Low

families can remaichange, leading to 

Liberalized Vehicle Assets Tests 

Looser targeting (benefits not as tightly targeted on those in most disadvantaged circumstances) 

Lower administrative costs 

May be lower because of fewer complex calculations, but new participants with vehicles may have more earning and fluctuating incomes). 

More access: Lowand higher particip

Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) 

No change in benefit 

targeting 

Lower administrative costs (after higher costs initially) 

May be lower. Lower levels of loss due to theft, better data for detecting trafficking of food stamp benefits 

More access (less 

On-line Application and Call-in Centers

No change in benefit 

targeting 

Not yet evaluated, may be lower administrative 

costs 

Unclear, but could increase error rates due to lack of face-to-face interview 

Not yet evaluated access (lower recipinternet access; mwith limited access 

Nutrition Tax Credit or Nutrition Affordability Credit 

Looser targeting (benefits no longer adjust to monthly circumstances) 

Unclear. Lower for those receiving credit, but two systems would be needed 

May be higher if follows error rates 

of EITC program. 

More program accthrough tax form) 

Consolidate Deductions and Categorical Restrictions 

Looser targeting (benefits not tied as closely to individual circumstances) 

Lower administrative costs 

Lower error rates. More access (less 

expenses required

33
Looser Targeting of Benefits. The next two examples are drawn from the regulatory and 

legislative changes designed to increase program access to the working poor. A prime 

example is the simplified reporting requirements, introduced in regulations prior to the 

Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (the 2002 Farm Bill) and expanded in 

that legislation. Under simplified reporting, food stamp households no longer have to 

report income fluctuations that occur during six-month certification periods unless the 

changes bring family income above the food stamp limit of 130 percent of the federal 

poverty guidelines. The change was motivated by a desire to simplify paperwork and 

increase program access, particularly for the working poor who are most likely to 

experience income changes. In addition, states were quick to adopt the reform because of 

its expected beneficial effect on overpayment error rates, once interim changes in income 

no longer affected food stamp benefit amounts. Indeed, available evidence suggests that 

the reform has been successful in improving benefit delivery across all three dimensions– 

reducing administrative costs, increasing program access, and reducing error rates (Fink 

and Carlson, 2005). Note, however, that it has done so by relaxing targeting of benefits. 

Food stamp benefits do not adjust to changing family circumstances as quickly as they 

did before the change.27

Liberalization of vehicle asset limits is another example of a change designed to increase 

program access. The Food Stamp legislation has historically had extremely complex 

rules that required vehicles to be judged on both fair-market and equity value. 

Regulatory changes in the early 2000s eliminated the equity test for most cars, and then 

states were given the option of liberalizing rules further. By 2004, three-fourths of states 

(39 states) allowed one car or other vehicle per family to be completely disregarded in 

asset determinations, and about half of all states excluded the value of all household 

vehicles (RSP, 2005). This change has been partly motivated by the broader policy goal 

of supporting asset accumulation to assist low-income recipients attain long-term goals of 

self-sufficiency. But it also probably reflects state administrators’ judgment that the 

administrative burden of calculating car values was not worth the potential benefit of 

targeting benefits more tightly by excluding families with expensive or even moderately 

valuable cars or trucks. 

Technological Improvements. Some changes to the Food Stamp Program involve 

simplifications through technological improvements, without changes in programmatic 

rules. One example is the introduction of electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards, which 

now have replaced paper food stamp coupons. Though initially more expensive, EBT 

systems have been shown over time to reduce state administrative expenses, as well as 

reducing federal costs for coupon printing, transportation and storage, and reducing costs 

to retail stores and banks (FNS, 2007a). EBT also may have positive impacts on fraud 

control, reducing loss and theft of paper coupons, and providing an audit trail to aid in 

investigating trafficking in food stamp benefits (FNS, 2003a). Its biggest impact, 

however, may be in the area of recipient burden. Recipients prefer EBT cards, noting the 

reduction in stigma and increased convenience, and some studies suggest that 

 

27 If a family chooses to report a change that would result in higher benefits, states are required to make that 

change. Many states have waivers allowing them to act on all interim changes that families do report, 

regardless of whether they cause an increase or decrease in benefits (Fink and Carlson, 2005). 

34
implementation of EBT appears to be associated with increased receipt of food stamp 

benefits (FNS, 2007a; Ratcliffe et al., 2007). 

Technology is also being used to develop alternative methods for initial application and 

re-certification for food stamp benefits. States are increasingly allowing food stamps to 

be submitted through on-line applications over the Internet, and also are using call centers 

to reduce visits to food stamp offices. These practices are believed to reduce 

administrative costs and increase program access, though there has been little formal 

evaluation to substantiate these perceptions (GAO, 2007). Effects on improper payments 

are unknown, but may be negative. Still, these emerging practices provide additional 

examples of the use of technology to improve benefit delivery systems without 

substantial change to programmatic rules. 

Proposals for Further Simplification. In 2001, Michael Fishman and Harold Beebout 

wrote a paper proposing a radically new approach to providing food stamps to working 

poor families. A year later, Robert Lerman and Michael Wiseman issued a similarly bold 

call for restructuring food stamps for working families. Though their proposals were not 

adopted in the 2002 Farm Bill, they merit review here, because of the authors’ concern 

with the very tradeoffs in benefit delivery costs discussed in this analysis and their 

interest in the EITC program as a model for benefit delivery. As Lerman and Wiseman 

put it: 

The question is whether the costs of the cumbersome approach embodied in food 

stamps are worth the benefits of preventing fraud and targeting benefits to the needy 

(Lerman and Wiseman, 2002, p. 10). 

Their paper suggests it is time to consider new service delivery strategies, a viewpoint 

shared by Fishman and Beebout, who state: 

the balance between accuracy in determining eligibility and paying benefits versus 

providing ready access for needy working families tilts too far toward accuracy. 

(Fishman and Beebout, 2001, p.9) 

Both sets of authors express concern that too much emphasis has been placed on program 

integrity and benefit targeting, at the cost of complex administrative procedures and 

reduced program access, especially for working poor families. 

In response, both teams of researchers propose to substantially restructure the Food 

Stamp Program by establishing a nutrition supplement to the EITC for working poor 

families. Eligibility would be simply based on annual earned and unearned income and 

number of dependents, information already reported on tax forms. Under the Nutrition 

Tax Credit, eligible families would receive benefits in twelve monthly installments, 

delivered through the EBT delivery system after they filed the EITC portion of their tax 

return (Fishman and Beebout, 2001). Under the alternate but similar Nutrition 

Affordability Credit, eligible families would receive quarterly cash payments with annual 

35
reconciliation at the time of tax filing (Lerman and Wiseman, 2002). Both versions of 

the proposal would continue the regular Food Stamp Program for other families. 

The experience of the EITC program provides some guidance as to likely effects if a 

large component of the Food Stamp Program were converted to a nutrition tax credit. 

Participation would be higher and administrative costs lower if working families were 

allowed to apply for benefits directly through the Internal Revenue Service, without a 

face-to-face interview at the welfare office or any up-front verification before benefit 

receipt.28 However, one would expect a higher proportion of benefits would be paid to 

ineligible families (Sammartino et al., 2002; Liebman, 1998).29 

Furthermore, while the hypothetical nutrition tax credit – and the actual EITC program – 

is simpler to administer than most other benefit programs, this simplicity comes at the 

price of benefit targeting. Basing eligibility solely on income means that benefits are not 

targeted to those with the lowest assets or adjusted to offset high shelter expenses.30 

Moreover, the annual accounting period used for taxes simplifies program administration, 

but fails to adjust benefits to meet changing and immediate family needs over the course 

of the year (Holtzblatt, 2004; Sammartino et al., 2002). While EITC families have the 

option of receiving the EITC payment throughout the year, 99.8 percent of them wait 

until the end of the calendar year to receive a retroactive lump-sum payment.31 

While the nutrition tax credit proposals provide an interesting example of the interaction 

of benefit targeting and benefit delivery costs, I would argue that an annual accounting 

period and administration by the Internal Revenue Service is too radical a change for the 

Food Stamp Program, because it requires too much of a sacrifice in benefit targeting. It 

does not make sufficient distinctions in need across different categories of people, nor 

does it adjust benefits to meet families’ changing circumstances. 

However, there may be ways to streamline administrative processes, and accept some 

degree of relaxation in benefit targeting, without going so far as a nutrition tax credit. 

For example, one could maintain the monthly accounting period and administration by 

welfare offices, but otherwise adopt the simplifications proposed by Fishman and 

Beebout. Specifically, standard deductions could replace itemized deductions of specific 

household expenses, thereby reducing much of the paperwork documentation. In 

 

28 Note that the potential for administrative savings would be reduced by the cost of maintaining the old 

system for non-working families, and for appropriately ensuring families do not get duplicate benefits 

under both systems. 

29 Improper payments in the residual Food Stamp Program would likely decline, because there would be 

many fewer cases with earnings, the cases that are most prone to error. 30 Those receiving the EITC must make less than $2,650 in income from assets (in 2005), imposing a 

modest asset restriction. (Zedlewski et al., 2006). 

31 Only 0.2 percent of EITC refunds in 2003 were paid under the advance payment option (Holt, 2006). 

Proponents of the nutrition tax credits argue that immediate responsiveness to changes in family 

circumstances are less important for working poor families, who are using food stamps to supplement their 

earnings, not as their primary safety net. In addition, Fishman and Beebout propose that “each family could 

choose between the current, more tailored benefit structure offered through the welfare system and the 

simplified benefit offered through the tax system.” (Fishman and Beebout, 2001, p.18) 

36
addition, the assets test could be eliminated, or simplified by disregarding the value of 

vehicle assets. I would also suggest that categorical restrictions such as the 1996 ban on 

participation by drug-related felons should be evaluated to determine whether the number 

of people excluded is of sufficient size and importance to justify collecting additional 

information (e.g., felony status) on each of the millions of individuals and families who 

apply for benefits each year. 

A Framework for Evaluating Proposed Reforms to the Food Stamp Program 

More generally, future proposals to modify the Food Stamp Program should be evaluated 

for their likely effect on benefit delivery costs. During five-year reauthorizations of the 

Food Stamp Program, Congress often considers proposals to adjust benefits in response 

to a particular set of expenses, or discount a particular form of income, or ban future 

groups from benefit receipt. While many of these proposals address worthy policy goals, 

it is important to recognize that each additional layer of program complexity increases 

costs to both administrators and recipients, and can have an accumulative effect of 

reducing levels of program participation. 

My concluding recommendation, based on the cross-program analysis presented in this 

paper, is that proposed reforms to the Food Stamp Program should be evaluated under a 

framework that explicitly considers the likely tradeoffs among benefit targeting and 

delivery costs. This framework would follow the structure of Table 4, encouraging 

policy-makers to think through the likely effect of changes in program design on each of 

the following four dimensions: 1) Benefit targeting; 2) Administrative costs; 3) Overpayments and other improper payments; and 4) Program access. 

In reviewing the likely effect of proposals, one would expect to encounter some tradeoffs 

among the various benefit delivery costs. In particular, there often are tradeoffs between 

administrative costs and improper payments. Another pattern seen in the cross-program 

analysis is that programs with low administrative costs and high error rates tend to place 

a lower burden on recipients and have higher program participation rates. 

However, there is not an invariable relationship between higher administrative costs and 

reduced error rates, or between higher program access and higher error rates. Recent 

reforms of the Food Stamp Program suggest it is possible to meet the tri-partite goals of 

reducing administrative costs, reducing improper payment rates, and improving program 

access. Some progress in administrative efficiency has been a result of technological 

advances; but other improvements have been accompanied by a relaxation of benefit 

targeting. These examples suggest that one way to further reduce benefit delivery costs is 

to further simplify the program, while recognizing that streamlined procedures usually 

make the program less tailored to individual families’ needs. 

Evaluating proposed changes against the four measures discussed here – benefit 

targeting, administrative costs, error payments, and program access – may help policymakers in striking the right balance between tightness of benefit targeting and costliness 

of benefit delivery. 

37
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Appendix Tables 

Appendix Table 1: Administrative Costs................................................ A-1 

Appendix Table 2: Error Rates............................................................ A-5 

Appendix Table 3: Participation Rates.................................................. A-7 

Appendix Table 4: Recipient Burden...................................................... A-9 

Appendix Table 5: Program Complexity................................................... A-11 

44
Appendix Table 1. Administrative Costs – Estimates in the Literature and Calculated by A

Program Estimates in Literature Estimates by Author Notes on estimates Food Stamp Program 

17.3 percent in 2004 according to GAO (2006b). 17 percent in 2004 (Zedlewski et al., 2006). 

15.9 percent of total costs in 2006, or equivalently, a total of 18.8 cents per benefit dollar, including 15.6 cents in state administrative expenses (other than employment and training and food stamp nutrition education), 0.2 cents in 

other administrative costs and 3.1 centsin employment and training and nutrition education. 

The 15.6 cents is based Federal spending estimates of $2.455 billion in federal SAE in 2006 (USDA Budget Exp

adjusted to include estimated state share of SAE ($2.65$400 million in federal/state spending on nutrition educastaff, 10/12/2007). The 0.2 in other administrative costs are called “other program costs” (i.e., benefit and retailecertification of SSI recipients for food stamps, error redutrafficking, computer support, and EBT systems). The 3training includes $516.7 million in federal/state spending and $400 million in nutrition education. Note that GAO aemployment and training and nutrition education costs aare classified here as “other costs” to be more similar to 

National School Lunch Program 

A median estimate of 7.9 cents in local administrative costs, plus less than 1 cent in federal and state administrative costs, per program dollar, in a GAO study of 20 schools in 10 districts in 2000-2001 (GAO, 2002). 

$7.51 per student approved for free and reduced-price meals in 2002, based on 13 sites (Burghardt et al., 2004). 

0.8 cents in federally funded state administrative expenses for school lunch per dollar in school lunch benefits, plus 0.8 cents in quasi-administrative costs such as direct certification, food service management institute. Total costs are higher (range of 1-13cents in administrative expenses, plus 1

cent in quasi-administrative, for total of 2-14 cents. Total costs are very rough due to challenge of estimating local costs: the GAO median estimate of 7.9 cents per program dollar suggests a total administrative cost of 13 cents per cash and commodity benefit dollar, while the Burghardt estimates suggest administrative costs of only 2.2 cents per benefit dollar. 

The 0.8 cent estimate in federally funded SAE assumes billion (including cash and commodities) and State Admmillion (a prorated share of the $89.8 million for school nbased on USDA Budget explanatory notes, p. 27-43 and includes $26 million in discretionary activities and $42 mactivities (e.g., direct certification and verification, grants management institute). GAO includes student payments and state funds for admdefinition of program dollars. Subtracting out such funds in a government-funded “benefit dollar” that was only 53 in the 10 school districts (data from p. 36). This informaper program dollar defined by GAO to costs per school lThe $7.51 estimate is based on 13 comparison sites in a change verification requirements. This cost includes the school districts that is not covered by Federal or state an$7.51 cost per student was converted to costs per progrwere 19.26 million free and reduced-price certifications iNutrition and Evaluation, October 1999). Between 1999 participation grew from 15.4 to 15.9 million, implying 19.Multiplying 19.89 million approved students by $7.51sug$149 million in 2002, compared to Federal program costper benefit dollar. 

A-1
Program Estimates in Literature Estimates by Author Notes on estimates 

Special Supplemental Feeding (WIC) 

Administrative costs are calculated two ways: costs per $3.6 billion spent on benefits (post-rebate value) or costs per $5.4 billion on the value of benefits adjusting for infant formula rebates (prerebate value). In 2006, spending on Federal “Nutrition services and administration (NSA)” was 39.5 cents (26.5 cents post-rebate). State spending on NSA added roughly 1.0 (and 0.7 post-rebate) cent per dollar, for totals of 40.5 (and 27.2) respectively. An additional 0.9 cents (0.6 cents postrebate) for other administrative costs such as state MIS costs, technical assistance and infrastructure, bringing total administrative costs to 41.4 and 27.8 cents under the two measures. Total non-benefit costs are 41.9 and 28.1 cents (see notes on estimates). 

In 2006, WIC spent $3.611 billion on supplemental food billion in food value, after adjusting for $1.775 billion in innutrition services and administration were 1.428 billion, MIS and other quasi-administrative expenses. (Data in Up. 27-54; infant formula rebate value from communicationo mandatory state match, states contributed an additioservices and administration in 1998 according to GAO, (appropriations were $37 million in 2006, or 1 cent per bewhich was for nutrition services and administration). Nutrition services and education includes referrals to hefeeding promotion, and nutrition education, as well as theligibility determinations required for program administraon how NSA funds are split among various activities, exbreast feeding promotion. In addition to these administspends $18.1 million or 0.5 cents post-rebate and 0.3 cecounselors, which is classified here as other non-benefit other programs. 

Earned Income Tax Credit 

Less than 1.5 percent of EITC benefits in 2002 (Holtzblatt and McCubbin, 2004). At most 3 percent in 1995 (Liebman, 1998). 1 percent (GAO, 1995, cited in Holtzblatt and McCubbin, 2004).

Use Holtzblatt and McCubbin estimate of 1.5 cents per dollar in EITC benefits. 

Holtzblatt and McCubbin include $146 million appropriat0.5 percent of 2001 claims, plus an estimate of no more costs such as processing the EITC claims. Liebman calculates it is at most 3 percent, based on 199unlikely assumption that 10 percent of IRS costs were dthe same “less than 3 percent” estimate. 

SSI 7.7 cents per dollar in SSI benefits in 

2004, based on benefit costs of $36.961 billion and administrative costs of $2.806 billion (HHS, 2006). 

State supplements are included in the benefit total. 

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Program Estimates in Literature Estimates by Author Notes on estimates 

TANF 7.7 percent in 2004 

(GAO, 2006b). 

8.2 percent of total costs in 2005, or, equivalently, 19.5 cents per dollar in 

TANF cash assistance benefits, or 13.7 cents per dollar spent on TANF cash assistance, child care subsidy, refundable tax credit or non-recurrent short-term benefits. Computer systems add an additional 2.6 cents (narrow definition of benefits) to 1.8 cents (broad definition), for a total of 15.5 to 22.1cents. 

Author’s calculations are based on Fiscal Year 2005 TAB1, B2, C, C1, C2, and F, at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/data/2005/tanf_200

Spending on other costs (e.g., work programs, transport51.4-116 cents per dollar of benefits issued, depending tax credits are counted as a dollar of benefits or a dollar total is 66.9-138 cents per dollar of benefits issued. 

Child Care Assistance under CCDF program 

2.3 percent in 2004 (GAO, 2006b) 2.6 percent in 2003 (Zedlewski et al., 2006) Note: 8 percent in 2003 for child care assistance under the TANF program (Zedlewski et al., 2006). 

2.9 percent in 2005 or equivalently, 3.6

cents per $1 in subsidies, plus 4.5cents in quasi-administrative costs, for a total of 8.1 cents in administrative costs. 

The CCDF program uses a narrow definition of administcosts of operating certification programs, eligibility detersystems. The author’s calculations include these latter ccosts. In addition to these administrative costs, the program alsdirect services, such as quality improvement activities, fo

Housing Programs 

Administrative costs such as checking eligibility (as opposed to the costs of managing the housing) add about 14 percent to the costs of housing programs (Olsen, 2003), or 14 cents per dollar in housing benefits. 

Use the Olsen estimate of 14 cents per 

dollar in housing benefits. 

In this estimate, all non-administrative costs are defined example, benefits are defined to include operating costs 

eligibility-related administrative costs. 

A-3
Program Estimates in Literature Estimates by Author Notes on estimates 

Medicaid 4.6 percent in 2002 

(Zedlewski et al., 2006) 4.9 percent in 2004 (data from GAO, 2005c -- GAO05-839R) 6.8 percent administrative overhead in 1999 (Woolhander et al., 2003). 

The GAO estimate of 4.9 percent suggests 5.1 cents per benefit dollar 

(4.9/95.1=5.1 cents per dollar not spent on administration). Medical assistance costs were $214.9 billion and administration and training costs (Federal and state) were $9.9 billion in 2001. (CMS, 2004). This suggests costs of 4.6 cents per benefit dollar. 

In this estimate, all costs other than administrative costs The Medicaid payments to hospitals, physicians, nursing cover the costs of provider administration as well as direEngland Journal of Medicine estimates that administrativof hospital expenditures, 19.2 percent of nursing home rphysicians’ gross income, and 35.0 percent of home caradministrative costs for dentists and other non-physician overhead, and employer’s costs to manage health care percent of health care expenditures in the U.S. in 1999 wThis translates into 0.45 per dollar spent on medical serv(Woolhander et al., 2003). Administrative costs may be the lower administrative costs for nursing homes (and thfor Medicaid as compared with private insurers). 

Other programs, not included in main analysis, but providing further interesting comparisonsAdoption Assistance 

20.1 percent of total costs in 2004 (GAO, 2006b) 

20.1 percent of total costs is 25.2 cents per benefit dollar. 

Child Support Enforcement 

100 percent in 2004 (GAO, 2006b) 

Cannot be expressed as costs per benefit. 

All program activities are classified as administrative exp

Foster Care 58.1 percent in 2004 

(GAO, 2006b) 

58.1 percent of total costs is $1.27 per $1 in benefits. 

Administrative costs in the foster care program include care not comparable. 

Unemployment insurance 

6.8 percent in 2004 (GAO, 2006b) 

6.8 percent of benefits is 7.3 cents per $1 in benefits 

A-4
Appendix Table 2. Error Rates – Range of Estimates in Literature 

Program Improper Payments Notes on estimates Food Stamp Program 

Total improper payments of 5.84 percent, including 4.53 percent in overpayments and 1.31 percent in underpayments. Net improper payments of 3.21 percent. 

Dollar amounts, based on FY2006 outlays of $28.16 billion are $1.276 billion in overpayments, $369 million in underpayments, $1.645 billion in gross improper payments and $907 million in net incorrectly issued payments (based on Fiscal Year 2005 error rates, reported in OMB, 2007, Table 6). Past rates: 5.88 percent improper payment rate in 2004; 6.64 percent in 2003. 

Lowest in the program’s history. Includes ounderpayments. Note OMB reports “FY20Reporting” based on error rates from fiscal y

School Lunch In SY2004-SY 2005. 33.9 percent of applications subject to income verification lost 

benefits after verification and 1.6 percent were reclassified to receive a larger benefit, for a total error rate of 35.5 percent (FNS, 2006). 

The majority (23.4 percent) were considerefailed to respond to the request for verificativerification are not a representative sampleexpressed as a percentage of applications, number can not be compared to overpaymeprograms. Still it suggests a potentially larg

Special Supplemental Feeding Program (WIC) 

4.5 percent of WIC cases (and 4.6 percent of WIC food benefits) were in error in spring 1998 (Cole, Hoaglin, and Kirlin, 2001). 5.9 percent of infants and 5.4 percent of children receiving benefits in average month of 1998 were ineligible (Bitler, Currie and Scholtz, 2002, using data from the SIPP). Earlier, 5.7 percent of enrollees in 1988 were income ineligible (5.8 percent of food benefits), according to the WIC Income Verification Study. (Oliveira et al, 2002). In addition, overcharges by WIC vendors accounted for $6.1 million or 0.17 percent 

of food benefits in 2005. Undercharges by WIC vendors accounted for $15.4 million or 0.43 percent of food benefits in 2005. These rates were lower than those found in 1991 and 1998. (Bell et al, 2007) 

Total overpayments were estimated as the overpayments to clients who were income evendor overpayments, for an estimated totaoverpayments. Undercharges by WIC ve

percent in underpayments.

Earned Income Tax Credit 

23-28 percent or $9.8-$11.6 billion projected for fiscal year 2006, based on tax year 2001 data and FY2006 outlays of $42.1 billion (IRS study cited in OMB, 2007). FY2006 outlays: $42.1 billion. 27-32 percent in tax year 1999; and 24-26 percent in tax year 1997 (OMB, 26 percent in tax year 1994, down from 35 percent in 1988 (IRS study cited by Liebman, 1998). 35 percent in error (according to a 1999 IRS study, Zedlewski et al., 2006). 

Errors often related to definition of qualifying taxpayer (single or married) and underrepo

Some analysts point out that this should be compliance problems in the tax code. IRS eEITC tax refunds are paid incorrectly. Note compliance is estimated to be 17 percent (ta 1996 IRS study, cited by Liebman, 1998). 

A-5
Program Improper Payments Notes on estimates 

SSI Improper payment rate of 7.75 percent or $3.028 billion out of FY2006 outlays of 

$39.068 billion. This includes 6.40 percent or $2.5 billion in overpayments and 1.35 percent or $528 million in underpayments, for a net of 5.05 percent or $1.972 

billion (OMB, 2007). Past rates: 7.7 percent or $2.910 billion in 2005, 7.3 percent or $2.639 billion in 2004 (OMB, 2006a). 

The rate for 2005 is based on a review of 20The key source of errors concern errors in e

TANF Estimate not available. Child Care Assistance under CCDF program. 

Pilot study found overpayment rates of 4 percent, 8 percent, 14 percent and 20 percent in Illinois, Colorado, Arkansas, and Ohio, respectively in October 2004, due to administrative errors (including lack of documentation) in eligibility (ACF, 2005); California study found error rates of 20 percent in October 2005 (and 15-16 percent in June 2004). The 20 percent includes 2 percent due to eligibility, 3 percent due to determining child care need, 1 percent in calculating family fee and 14 percent in documenting attendance and other errors in provider payments. The error would be 7 percent if 6 county contractors had correctly enforced a requirement for signing children in and out of facilities (California Department of Education, 2006). 

In analysis, use 14 percent, which is the meavailable (4 percent, 8 percent, 14 percent, study, and 20 percent as the most recent esappears to be an estimate of overpayments

Housing Programs 

3.86 percent in overpayments or $1.052 billion, 1.51 percent in underpayments, or $412 million, 5.37 percent in improper payment rate, or $1.464 billion in improper payments. Net incorrectly issued payments of 2.34 percent or $640 million, based on FY2006 Public Housing/Rental Assistance Outlays of $27.242 billion (OMB, 2007). Past improper payment rates: 5.6 percent and $1.7467 billion in 2005; and 

6.9 percent and $1.707 billion in 2004 (HUD estimate in OMB, 2006a). The $1.467 billion includes overpayments of $1.074 billion and underpayments of $0.393 billion, for a net incorrectly issued payment of $0.681 billion. 5.0 percent in 2003 ($1.4 billion), (HUD estimate in GAO 2005b). The $1.4 billion includes $.896 in overpayments and $0.519 billion in underpayments, for a net overpayment rate of $0.377 billion. 

The 2003 error rate was based on a sample reviewed by GAO and found a reasonable ewere in the section 8 vouchers program, onone-fourth in project-based Section 8 (GAOThe key sources of error are: the local agenincome exclusions and deductions to correcand subsidy level, the housing participant’s and errors in billing and paying HUD subsid

Medicaid In FY2004, inaccurate payment rates ranged from 0.80 percent to 54.3 percent for 

Fee-for-Service component, and from 0 to 7.45 percent for managed care components, in 24 states participating in pilot. In FY2003, inaccurate payment rates among Fee for Service components of Medicaid ranged from 0.3 to 18.6 percent in 12 states participating in pilot to measure program accuracy; Inaccurate payment rates ranged from 0-2.5 percent 

for the managed care component (GAO, 2006a). 

Variability in methodology limits comparison

A-6
Appendix Table 3. Participation or Takeup Rates – Range of Estimates in the Literatu

Program Estimates of Takeup Rate Among Eligible Individuals or 

Families 

Notes on estimates 

Food Stamp Program 

65 percent of eligible individuals and 55 percent of eligible households and 80 percent of eligible benefits in 2005 (Wolkwitz, 2007) 46-48 percent of households in 2001 (GAO, 2005a). 

The 2005 participation rates (released in June 2007 after thlargely completed) are significantly higher than rates in 200eligible benefits, it is possible to calculate unpaid benefits as (20/80=25 cents). However, it is not possible to do comparaprogram other than EITC. 

School Lunch 25 percent of those eligible for free and reduced-price lunch are 

not certified (75 percent participating) (Currie, 2003). 87 percent of children below 130 percent of poverty participating in free component (Currie, 2003). 

WIC 57 percent of eligible individuals in 2003 (Nothaft, undated, 

based on tabulations by the Urban Institute). 51 percent among eligible infants, children and pregnant women in 1988 (National Research Council, 2001, cited in GAO, 2005a). 51-55 percent among eligible infants and children in 2001 (Urban Institute, cited in GAO, 2005a). 

Earned Income Tax Credit 

75-86 percent of eligible households (Holtzblatt and McCubbin, 2004, drawing on studies by Scholz, IRS, and GAO; same range in Zedlewski et al., 2006). 75-86 percent with a rate of 86.5 percent among working families with children (Zedlewski et al., 2006). 75 percent of eligible households in 1999, ranging from 45 percent for households with no children to 96 percent for households with one child. This same estimate yielded estimate that 89.9 percent of the amount that households were eligible to claim was claimed (GAO, 2001). 80-86 percent of eligible taxpayers in 1990 (Scholz, 1994, cited in Currie, 2004). 82.2-87.2 percent of eligible households filed and claimed EITC (IRS, 2002, cited in Currie, 2004) 

Taxpayers generally correspond to households. GAO consiconservative estimate, adjusted to exclude payments made percent of eligible benefits, it is possible to calculate unpaid benefits (10.1/89.9=11.2 cents). However it is not possible for any program other than Food Stamps. 

A-7
Program Estimates of Takeup Rate Among Eligible Individuals or Notes on estimates 

Families 

SSI 66-73 percent of eligible individuals and married couples in 2001 

(GAO, 2005). 68 percent of eligible adult units in 2003, including 62 percent of one-person aged individuals, 74 percent of one-person disabled units and 48 percent of married-couple units (HHS, 2006). 

TANF 46 percent among eligible families in 2003 (HHS, 2006). 

46-50 percent in 2001 (GAO, 2005a). 

Estimate is based on TRIM model operated by Urban Institu

Child Care Assistance under CCDF program 

21 percent of eligible children in 2003, if CCDF only; 28 percent if combine children receiving assistance under CCDF and TANF, 

(Isaacs, 2005 and author’s calculations). 18-19 percent in 2001 (GAO, 2005a). 

Takeup limited by funding levels. Waiting lists are common

Housing Programs 

13-15 percent of those eligible for housing choice vouchers , 7-9 percent of household eligible for public housing, and overall, about 25 percent of households eligible for any kind of housing assistance received assistance in 1999 (Estimate by HUD, cited in GAO, 2005a). Far below 50 percent for each combination of income and family size, across entire system of housing subsidies (Olsen, 2003). 

Housing Choice vouchers and Public Housing are the two laprograms. Takeup rates constrained by funding levels. WaStigma, transaction costs, and low information may also dep

Medicaid 66-70 percent among individuals, 74-79 percent among children, 

56-64 percent among adults, 40-43 percent among elderly in 2000 (GAO, 2005a). 75 percent among children eligible under poverty rules and 86 percent among children eligible under other rules, both in 2002 (Zedlewski et al., 2006). 73 percent in 1996 among children (Gruber, 2003, cited in Currie 2004). 66 percent participation in SCHIP in 2002 (Zedlewski et al., 2006). 44-51 percent participation in SCHIP in 2000 (GAO, 2005a). 

GAO estimate does not include institutionalized individuals. 

A-8
Appendix Table 4. Recipient Burden 

Complexity of Application and Interview Documentation Other 

Food Stamp Program 

Mutli-page application (often combined with TANF and Medicaid). Face-to-face interview for initial application, and unless state has waiver, for re-certification. Work requirements. Cooperation with child support enforcement office required in some states. 

Extensive documentation required (payroll stub, utility receipts, etc.). A second trip is usually required to supply this documentation. Thirdparty verification of income, household composition and/or shelter costs is common (Gabor et al., 2003). 

Average application took about 5 hourto complete, including two trips to a FSRe-certification for benefits took 2.5 hoat least one trip. Out-of-pocket applicaaveraged about $10.31 or 6 percent of average monthly benefit (Currie, 2003)Half of caseload is in offices requiring trips (Gabor et al., 2003) 

National School Lunch Program 

Application can be one-page form. No faceto-face interview. Either 1.5 to 3 percent subject to further income verification, 

including payroll stubs, etc, depending on response rate to prior year’s verification. 

In theory, parents should report changmake family ineligible, but in practice mcertified for full school-year. One study that 10 percent of non-participants said application process was onerous. 

Special Supplemental Feeding Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) 

Face-to-face interview, including measurement of height, weight, blood test, dietary recall questionnaire. 

Until April 1999, many states did not require income document beyond self-reporting. Not sure how much documentation required now (Currie, 2003). 

Certified as “WIC eligible” for fixed per(extent of pregnancy plus six weeks popartum, every six months for infants anchildren). 

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) 

No face-to-face interview required. Applications can be mailed or submitted online. Many use paid tax preparers (71 percent in 2003) (Holt, 2006). The EITC form contains 6 lines (in addition to the information collected on the 1040 forms). The 1040A/1040EZ form has a time burden of 11.1 hours including 2.9 for completion and submission of form and 8.2 for record-keeping, tax planning and other. 

W-2 is the only documentation required. 1.4 percent are audited (Holtzblatt and McCubbin, 2004). 

Claims are filed annually. Some analconsider the high use of paid tax prepaindicate high transaction costs. In 199percent of EITC claimants used a privapreparer, compared to 54 percent of aFees from private preparers, electronic and refund anticipation loans equaled estimated 6 percent of total EITC refunone study. Some of these fees would been paid in absence of EITC (Holt, 20

A-9
Complexity of Application and Interview Documentation Other 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 

High complexity (many deductions). Extensive medical documentation 

of disability required. 

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 

Mutli-page application, often combined with Food Stamps and Medicaid. Face-to-face interview. Work requirements. Cooperation with child support enforcement office required. Varies by state. 

Extensive documentation required (payroll stubs, etc.). 

Child Care Assistance under CCDF program 

Varies from state to state but information is generally collected on income, family size, reason for care, hours parent(s) are working, hours child needs care, age of child and other factors. Some states require cooperation with child support enforcement agency. 

Documentation of provider arrangements needed in addition to some income documentation. 

Long waiting lists. Recipient must find who will accept subsidy. 

Housing Programs Mutli-page application; Face-to-face interview. 

Work requirements. 

Extensive documentation required. Long waiting lists. Once participating, 

must be recertified annually. Some reof vouchers cannot find appropriate re

Medicaid Mutli-page application (often combined with 

TANF and food stamps); Face-to-face interview. Cooperation with child support enforcement office required. 

Not sure. Applicants can be assisted in applicati

process by providers or caseworkers ostationed in hospitals. Also can benefstreamlined application processes, inc“presumptive eligibility” based on interdetermination by providers (Gruber, 20Existence of two programs (State ChildHealth Insurance Program and Medicaadd complexity in some states. 

A-10
Appendix Table 5. Program Complexity and Benefit Targeting 

Benefit Targeting 

Frequency of Benefit Change and/or Eligibility ReDetermination 

Complexity of Income Determination 

Other Verification 

Food Stamp Program 

Monthly benefit varying with income. 

Recipients experience frequent changes in income and household composition. 29 percent have earnings and SIPP data indicate 36 percent of spells are under 4 months and 38 percent are more than 12 months (HHS, 2006). Certification periods of 1-12 months. Average certification period of 11 months in 2005. 

High complexity (gross and net income limits; many income deductions and exclusions; face-to-face interview). 

Assets test, citizenship status, work requirements. Certain categories ineligible (e.g., households with striking members, persons in institutional settings). 

Extensive documentation required (payroll utility receipts, et

National School Lunch Program 

Annual approval for daily flat subsidy. 

Recipients experience frequent changes in income but are usually only certified annually. (In theory, parents should report changes that make family ineligible, but in practice most are certified for full school-year) (Currie, 2003). 

Relatively simple income test, requiring a listing of total income, and sources of income. 

Meals must meet nutritional requirements to be eligible for subsidy, and must be counted by student approval status. 

Self-reported witdocumentation (except 3 percensubject to further income verificatioincluding payroll stubs, etc.) (OAN2006). 

Special Supplemental Feeding Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) 

Monthly benefit, flat by age of participant (though tailored to age). 

Recipients experience frequent changes in income but are certified as “WIC eligible” for fixed period (extent of pregnancy plus six weeks post-partum, every six months for infants and children) (Currie, 2003). 

Relatively simple income test with relatively few income exclusions. 

Recipients must be screened for nutritional risk meaning face-to-face interview is necessary. (In practice virtually all income-eligible are certified “at risk.”) No assets test. Priority system for serving those at greatest nutritional risk first if there are waiting lists. Voucher only approved for certain foods (Currie, 2003). 

Until April 1999, states did not reqincome documenbeyond self-repoNot sure how mudocumentation required now (Cu2003). 

A-11
Benefit 

Targeting 

Frequency of Benefit Change and/or Eligibility ReDetermination 

Complexity of Income Determination 

Other Verification 

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) 

Annual benefit, varying by income. 

One annual benefit. Moderately complex 

income requirement, but mostly using information needed to file taxes. 

Must determine if child is “qualifying child,” who is a household resident. Income from assets cannot exceed $2,650 in 2004 (Zedlewski, 2006). Must be citizen or resident alien. 

W-2 is the only documentation required. 1.4 peare audited (Holtand McCubbin, 2

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 

Monthly benefit, varying by income. 

Many recipients have stable income source (35 percent had Social Security benefits, only 3.4 percent have earnings). SIPP data indicate 28 percent of spells last under 4 months and 51 percent last over 12 months (HHS, 2006). 

High complexity (many deductions). 

Disabled applicants must establish that they are unable to engage in “substantial gainful activity” because of disability;” requiring complex determination. Assets and citizenship requirements. 

Extensive medicdocumentation odisability require

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 

Monthly benefit, varying by income. 

Frequent changes in income and household composition. 19 percent of adult recipients had earnings. SIPP data indicate 50 percent of spells last under 4 months and 27 percent last over 12 months (HHS, 2006). 

High complexity (gross and net income, many income exclusions and deductions, earnings disregard varies over time). Varies by state. 

Assets test, citizenship status, work requirements, child support assignment, face-toface interview. Certain categories ineligible (drug felons, unwed teen mothers unless in adult-supervised arrangements, those receiving benefits for more than 60 months). 

Extensive documentation required (payroll stubs, etc.). 

Child Care Assistance under CCDF program 

Monthly benefit varying by income and hours and type of care. 

One study found the median spell varied from 3-7 months in studied states (CCB, 2003). 

Moderately complex income test. Few states have adopted income disregards (Zedlewski et al., 2006). 

Child care arrangement must be legally permissible. Only two states have assets tests. (Zedlewski et al., 2006). 

Documentation oprovider arrangements nein addition to somincome documentation. 

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A-13

Benefit Targeting 

Frequency of Benefit Change and/or Eligibility ReDetermination 

Complexity of Income Determination 

Other Verification 

Housing Programs 

Monthly benefit varying by income. 

Income must be recertified annually. 

Moderate-high complexity (there are a number of deductions and exclusions). 

Some work requirements. Must meet assets test. Some programs operate voucher programs, others contract with multi-family housing owners or operate public housing projects. Programs must operate vouchers, or contract. 

Extensive documentation required. 

Medicaid Monthly 

benefit (amount of coverage not varying by income, on or off). 

High complexity 

(eligibility tied to AFDC requirements in effect July 16, 1996 or Federal poverty limit). Varies by state. Different methods for calculating income for “medically needy.” 

Many different eligibility categories (50 identified in federal law). Coverage is extended for transitional periods after loss of cash assistance. Citizenship requirements. Most states have dropped assets test for non-elderly and non-disabled. Services provided must be eligible for Medicaid coverage (Gruber, 2003; CRS, 2006). 

Not sure. 

Source: Congressional Research Service 2006 (all nine programs); Currie, 2003 (Food Stamps, National School Lunch Program, WIC); Olsen, 2003 TANF); CCB, 2003; Zedlewski et al., 2006 (child care); Gruber, 2003 (Medicaid); sources as noted above (EITC).