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Media Advisory No. 5168.12
Contact:
Office of Communications (202) 720-4623
Media Advisory: USDA to Host Media Conference Call Highlighting Aggressive New Measures to Counter Abuse in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Proposal Cracks Down on Program Violators by Enforcing Stronger Retailer Sanctions in Nation’s Leading Nutrition Assistance Program
WASHINGTON, August 9, 2012— TODAY, Agriculture Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon will host a national conference call with Dean Simpson, the Economic Services Section Chief for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to detail strategies to further improve program integrity in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). During the call, Concannon and Simpson will discuss new measures to strengthen sanctions against retailers that commit program violations, and new matching requirements and tools for States to better prevent ineligible individuals from participating in the program.
3:30 p.m. ET
WHAT: Media conference call to discuss tactics to counter fraud in SNAP
WHO: Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services
Dean Simpson, Economic Services Section Chief for North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
DIAL-IN: Audio Bridge Number: 800-857-5233
Passcode: SECY (Given Verbally)
Troubleshooting: 202-720-8560
All callers using the above pass code will be placed in listen only mode. To join the Q&A portion of the meeting, these callers are instructed to press *1 on their touch tone phone.
Today’s announcement is part of the Obama Administration's ongoing Campaign to Cut Waste designed to fight fraud and abuse in Federal programs. For more information about USDA efforts to combat fraud, visit the Stop SNAP fraud website at www.fns.usda.gov/snap/fraud.
About the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: SNAP, the nation’s first line of defense against hunger, helps put food on the table for millions of low income families and individuals every month. The largest of USDA’s 15 nutrition assistance programs, it has never been more critical to the fight against hunger. SNAP is a vital supplement to the monthly food budget more than 46 million low-income individuals.
About USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service: FNS oversees the administration of 15 nutrition assistance programs. These programs serve one in four Americans over the course of a year and work together to form a national safety net against hunger. Visit www.fns.usda.gov for information about FNS and nutrition assistance programs.
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