Rockford Sun

Illinois may owe the federal government more than $700 million each year due to high error rates in its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administration, according to recent reports. The state currently ranks lower than 38 other states in payment accuracy for SNAP, a program that provides food benefits to low-income families.

Federal law requires states with error rates above 10 percent to repay 15 percent of total SNAP benefits. In fiscal year 2024, Illinois’ error rate reached 11.56 percent, one of the highest nationwide, based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Illinois spends more than $4.5 billion a year on SNAP,” said State Senator Dave Syverson. “When over 10 percent of those payments are being issued incorrectly, that’s tens of millions of taxpayer dollars essentially being wasted. It’s unacceptable for state leaders to act like this isn’t a problem.”

Senator Syverson is calling for increased transparency and is urging the Administration to take immediate steps to address errors and prevent fraud and abuse within the program.

Syverson, a Republican, has represented Illinois' 35th Senate District since his election in 1993, succeeding Christine J. Johnson.