General · Texas behavioral health news
Texas expected to pay $700 million in penalties to the feds for SNAP errors by 2027 - The Texas Tribune
Texas HHSC (Google News) · April 8, 2026
In plain language
Texas faces over $700 million in federal penalties by 2027 if it does not lower its error rate for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. These errors happen when the state or a person accidentally pays out the wrong amount of food assistance due to mistakes or changes in finances. New federal rules are also requiring the state to pay a larger share of the program's daily operating costs. Currently, about 3.1 million Texans, including many children, rely on these monthly benefits to buy food.
AI-generated summary of the source article. Not medical advice.
Key takeaways
- Texas must reduce its SNAP error rate to below 6% by October 2027 to avoid large financial penalties.
- SNAP errors include unintentional overpayments or underpayments to families caused by agency mistakes or client reporting errors.
- The state's share of SNAP administrative costs will increase from 50% to 75% starting next year.
- About 3.1 million Texans, including 1.5 million children, currently receive monthly SNAP benefits.
- Texas state agencies reported recovering hundreds of millions of dollars recently from healthcare and welfare fraud investigations.
- New state rules have recently banned the use of SNAP benefits to purchase candy or sugary drinks.
Texas expected to pay $700 million in penalties to the feds for SNAP errors by 2027 The Texas Tribune
Need to talk to someone in Texas? Browse Texas-licensed telehealth therapists. In crisis, call or text 988.