Lawmakers Warn MDHHS of SNAP Error‑Rate Penalties and MI Bridges Verification Gaps
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Summary
Committee members pressed MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel about Michigan’s SNAP error rate, potential federal penalties beginning in 2026, and verification practices for the MI Bridges/Bridge Card application that lawmakers say leave the program vulnerable to fraud.
Representative Wolford and other lawmakers told Director Elizabeth Hertel the department’s SNAP error rate has been high enough in recent years to trigger large federal penalties under new rules that take effect in October 2026.
Wolford and members cited department figures presented at the hearing: Michigan’s SNAP error rate reached about 13% in 2022; it was roughly 10.72% in 2023 and about 9.53% in 2024. Committee members said federal penalties would start when the rate exceeds 6% under the federal standard and described possible chargebacks running into the hundreds of millions of dollars in the years cited. At the hearing representatives calculated potential fiscal exposures using department benefit totals presented in committee.
Hertel said the department has reduced error rates since 2023 and is working with the federal government and other states on tools to prevent errors and fraud. She told the committee the department’s inspector general and work with the federal government are identifying front‑end tools and back‑end checks to lower error rates, and she emphasized the need to distinguish beneficiary reporting errors from state processing errors.
Lawmakers also criticized the MI Bridges online application portal (referred to at the hearing as the Bridge Card application). Representative Wolford said the system can be used to submit applications with minimal identity documentation and that much verification is performed later by staff. Wolford noted the state spent about $16,000,000 on the application and said a heavy reliance on back‑end verification increases caseworker workload and exposes the program to fraud. She asked why the department does not require documentary evidence at the point of application, citing 7 C.F.R. § 273.2, which identifies documentary verification as preferred for identity and residency.
Hertel responded that Michigan uses an integrated application that collects information for multiple programs and that some verification is performed automatically (for example, the MAGI match for Medicaid with Social Security databases). She said the department is working with USDA on SNAP data exchanges and with the Office of Inspector General on fraud detection tools. When asked if the department had refused to turn SNAP data over to USDA, Hertel said MDHHS was “working with them” and denied a blanket refusal.
Representative Manser and others asked for a report with corrective actions and timelines. Wolford warned that if error rates do not fall, the state could face significant fiscal penalties and urged immediate corrective steps.
Ending: Hertel said error rates are falling and that MDHHS will continue to deploy front‑end and back‑end checks with federal partners and the inspector general; lawmakers said they will seek specific corrective plans and timelines.
