Ohio overpaid more than $88 million in tax-funded food-stamp benefits last year as the state's error rate surpassed the national average. In all, Ohio misspent 4.1 percent of the nearly $3 billion it received from the federal government to pay food-stamp benefits last year.

Ohio overpaid more than $88 million in tax-funded food-stamp benefits last year as the state�s error rate surpassed the national average.

In all, Ohio misspent 4.1 percent of the nearly $3 billion it received from the federal government to pay food-stamp benefits last year.

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In most cases, the state paid more than a recipient was entitled to, and in some instances, too little � nearly $32 million in underpayments.

The state�s error rate was up slightly from the previous year and above the national rate of 3.2 percent for tax-dollar waste, ranking 21st among the states, territories and Washington, D.C.

Virginia had the lowest rate of errors, 0.44 percent, while Vermont�s 9.7 percent was the highest.

Ohio officials defended administration of the food-stamp program, noting that Ohio�s error rate has dropped significantly in the past six years.

�In 2007, the state�s error rate was 9.17 percent. Today, the program is far more accurate ... but we are always seeking ways to improve the program and reduce both overpayments and underpayments,� said Benjamin Johnson, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which administers the benefits.

Johnson said errors include incorrect calculations made by county caseworkers, honest mistakes made by applicants and some instances of fraud. The last would involve an applicant providing false information about income or household size, both of which are used to determine the amount of benefit paid.

State officials couldn�t explain why the error rate increased this year, as it did in 2010 and 2011, but they predicted it would improve when the food-stamp program is added to the state�s �new integrated eligibility system.�

�The new (computer) system will replace the state�s decades-old case-management system and will include an e-verify tool. We expect e-verify to improve payment accuracy by allowing county caseworkers to more easily access and verify wage records, income and other documents necessary for determining eligibility and calculating benefit amounts,� Johnson said.

More than 1.8 million Ohioans receive food stamps; the average monthly benefit for an individual is $132.

ccandisky@dispatch.com

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