After posting one of the nation’s highest SNAP payment error rates just a few years ago, Maryland has made substantial progress. New federal data show the state has reduced payment errors by nearly two-thirds since 2022.
As reported in a Baltimore Sun article, Maryland has reduced its error rate in administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The state’s payment error rate fell in federal fiscal year 2025, continuing a steady improvement from 2024.
SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program, provides monthly food assistance to eligible low-income households. As previously covered by MACo, historically, the federal government covered SNAP benefits and split administrative costs with states. Under HR 1, states must now shoulder 75% of administrative expenses.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that Maryland’s SNAP payment error rate was 13.08% in federal fiscal year 2025, down from 13.64% in 2024 and 35.56% in 2022. The state said the reduction between 2022 and 2025 was the largest relative decline among states during that period.
The payment error rate measures benefits that were issued incorrectly, either overpayments or underpayments, and does not reflect fraud. The improvement follows a series of operational changes by the Maryland Department of Human Services aimed at improving program accuracy and efficiency. Since early 2023, the Department has hired nearly 200 Family Investment caseworkers and supervisors, helping reduce vacancy rates from nearly 20% in 2022 to just over 4% by early 2026 and has increased training sessions.
In addition to expanding staffing, the Department has streamlined application and renewal processes by redesigning forms, automating benefit reviews, and improving document submission procedures. Officials also partnered with Georgetown University, US Digital Response, and the University of Maryland to develop data tools that identify cases with a higher likelihood of payment errors, allowing staff to address issues before benefits are issued incorrectly.