Mass. DTA staffing increased to decrease SNAP error rate

BOSTON — The state’s SNAP benefit payment error rate is at the forefront of Transitional Assistance Commissioner Michael Cole’s mind as his department grapples with access issues and changes to the nation’s largest food program.

The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) added nearly 80 new Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program caseworkers to its frontline force in January, Cole said, and is hiring to backfill an additional 42 positions. 

“Today, we answer less than half of incoming calls, which is not where we want to be,” Cole told lawmakers at a budget hearing in Mattapan on Friday. 

As new work requirements passed by Congress go into effect for food recipients ages 55 to 64, many are unable to reach a state caseworker to discuss or update their situation because staff — and the phone system — cannot keep up with the volume, The Light reported earlier this month.

The department is also investing in call center technology and expanding its app and web portal to try to address the issue, Cole said.

The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) raised issues with the lack of staff and call capacity at DTA.

“Right now, DTA is weeks behind in processing documents,” MLRI Senior Economic Justice Advocate Vicky Negus wrote. “We have been seeing delays recently over a month. This delays access for eligible families, and worsens risk of payment errors. The SNAP caseload has been in a freefall for the past 18 months, largely due to these access barriers.”

Gov. Maura Healey’s budget invests $147.7 million into DTA caseworkers, a $46.4 million increase over fiscal 2026. 

One of the most significant consequences of federal changes to SNAP is the heightened importance of the SNAP payment error rate, which “measures how accurately states determine SNAP eligibility and calculate benefit amounts,” Cole explained. The state needs to get below a 6% error rate, he said. The rate captures underpayments and overpayments, and is not the same as fraud, he said.

“Beginning in federal fiscal year ’26, states with elevated error rates must repay a portion of SNAP benefits cost using state funds. For Massachusetts, which administers more than $2 billion in SNAP benefits annually, potential penalties could reach up to $350 million if not addressed,” Cole said. Most errors occur when households experience changes in income, household composition, housing costs or work schedules, he said. 

Before the pandemic, Massachusetts maintained a payment error rate between 4% and 6%, which Cole said sat below federal tolerance levels and national averages. Massachusetts’ SNAP error rate in fiscal 2024 sat at around 14%, and while fiscal 2025 is not finalized, he said it looks like it’ll be around 11%. 

Asked by Rep. Russell Holmes if DTA needs anything from the Legislature to hit under 6% by the end of the year, Cole said, “We’ve got most of the tools we need to do this,” naming things like staffing, technology, infrastructure, and a slight shift in its “self declaration” approach being used to tackle it.

Delinating between fraud and error rates, Cole said that fraud represents less than 1% of the benefits the agency issues and involves “intentional misrepresentation to obtain benefits, while payment errors are typically unintentional mistakes.”

“The vast majority of benefits are issued to eligible households and used appropriately. And like any system that moves money electronically, whether it’s banking, credit cards or online payments, public benefits programs will attract individuals who attempt to exploit them,” Cole said.

The Trump administration has recently focused on rooting out benefits and Medicaid fraud. The House Energy and Commerce Committee requested information related to Medicaid from 10 states, including Massachusetts. Asked last week if she had feelings about the feds probing Medicaid fraud, Healey harkened back to her attorney general days.

“I know as attorney general, former attorney general, having overseen a Medicaid fraud unit, and now as governor, that the MassHealth program has strong public program integrity operations, as does DTA and the other agencies,” Healey said last week. “So that’s important, I continue to fund them, continue to support them, and we need to, because the job is to maximize and ensure the best and appropriate use of every taxpayer dollar.”

DTA administers roughly $3 billion annually in combined federal and state benefits, Cole said, and employs safeguards — like data matching with other government systems, dedicated staff and a tip line — to prevent and detect fraud. He said the department’s transition to chip-enabled electronic benefit transfer cards will also significantly reduce vulnerability. Rollout is expected to begin this summer.