Gov. Heineman Accepts $466,000 Award
On Behalf of Nebraska’s Food Stamp Program

(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman announced today that Nebraska received a bonus of more than $466,000 from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for leading the country in processing food stamp applications properly.

“We are pleased that the USDA says Nebraska is a model for the nation,” Gov. Heineman said. “This is the fourth year in a row we’ve received this bonus. The food stamp program staff’s hard work and attention to detail continues to pay off. Their number one priority is helping Nebraska families get the food they need.”

Nancy Montanez Johner, USDA’s Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, was in Lincoln to present the check to the Governor and Todd Landry, director of the Division of Children and Family Services in the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Nebraska tied Vermont for the lowest error rate in the nation for 2006. Nebraska’s error rate was zero percent last year.

The high performance bonus is based on having low “negative error rates” in the food stamp program. The negative error rate measures a state agency’s ability to correctly deny a food stamp application or suspend or terminate benefits for participating households.

Landry said, “We help people live better lives and low error rates ensure assistance is going to those who need it most.”

Nebraska is one of only five states receiving the bonus. Other states include Vermont, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Minnesota.

The DHHS Food Stamp Program currently serves more than 120,000 people. For more information go to http://www.dhhs.ne.gov and search for “food stamps.”