United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1996-02-12 monographic deposited born digital 18 p. GA 1.13:RCED-96-54 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-54 P0b002ee18038d1f5 f:rc96054 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-54 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-54 RCED-96-54 Public assistance programs State-administered programs Cost analysis Welfare benefits Overpayments Administrative costs Refunds to government Statistical methods Minnesota Family Investment Program Minnesota Family General Assistance Program AFDC Aid to Families with Dependent Children Program Food Stamp Program Medicaid Program Letter Report RCED GAO examined the methodologies that Minnesota used for estimating the costs that would have been incurred if it had not implemented the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), focusing on whether: (1) Minnesota implemented the agreed-upon methodologies; (2) Minnesota reasonably estimated fiscal year (FY) 1994 Food Stamp Program costs; and (3) the Department of Agriculture (USDA) paid Minnesota the same amount for food stamp benefits in FY 1994 than it would have paid in the absence of MFIP.<p/>GAO found that: (1) Minnesota agreed to use two methodologies for estimating food stamp benefit costs that would have been incurred in the absence of MFIP; (2) Minnesota randomly assigned applicant families to either traditional welfare programs or MFIP and estimated the cost of providing MFIP benefits and food stamp benefits in traditional welfare programs; (3) Minnesota excluded all costs unique to MFIP which are paid by the state to achieve cost neutrality; (4) Minnesota used the same methodology to allocate allowable administrative costs among the welfare programs; (5) Minnesota implemented the agreed-upon methodologies and generated reasonable cost estimates for FY 1994, but a data processing problem delayed results for 7 months; and (6) USDA overpaid Minnesota $115,395 in excess food stamp benefits during the first 6 months of MFIP, based on Minnesota's forecasts of what food stamp costs would have been in the absence of MFIP. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-54/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-54.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-54/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-54.pdf GAO/RCED-96-54 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-54 Letter Report GAO/RCED-96-54; Food Stamp Program: Achieving Cost Neutrality in Minnesota's Family Investment Program; Public assistance programs State-administered programs Cost analysis Welfare benefits Overpayments Administrative costs Refunds to government Statistical methods Minnesota Family Investment Program Minnesota Family General Assistance Program AFDC Aid to Families with Dependent Children Program Food Stamp Program Medicaid Program Public Law 101-202 Public Law 101-239