Proposed changes to SNAP will cost Wisconsin taxpayers more than $314 million a year, according to a State Department of Health Services analysis.
That analysis also found roughly 90,000 people would be at risk of losing their SNAP benefits.
SNAP, also known as FoodShare, helps nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites put food on their tables.
The changes in the reconciliation bill passed by the house include work requirements, error rate penalties, and eliminating healthy food education.
According to DHS, Wisconsin's payment error rate is one of the lowest in the country at just 4.41% in 2024.
The bill requires states to start making matching payments for SNAP benefits, based on the state's error rates.
DHS estimates this provision would cost the state $207 million annually.
Bill Hannah is the Wisconsin Medicaid Director.
“Errors can be both overpayments and underpayments to families, and when errors are identified, we correct them, meaning if there was an overpayment to a member that is recouped on future benefits, or if there's an underpayment, we fix that and back pay those payments. So there is already a mechanism to collect errors and overpayments,” Hannah said in a news conference.
DHS says more than 88,000 would have to start submitting new paperwork to prove they are working, including increasing this requirement for adults from 54 to 64 years old.
This requirement would also require parents with school-aged kids, including kids with disabilities, to complete more paperwork.
DHS estimates these changes would cost an extra $44 million for Wisconsin taxpayers.
“It will increase costs for county workers and for the state workers in miles, because they will be spending more time talking to folks on the phone, making sure they understand what those requirements are for them and that they know how to submit that paperwork to the department,” said Hannah.
On social media, Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany called these common sense reforms that will “guarantee that these programs remain protected and accessible for those who truly need them– the elderly, the disabled, low-income children, and pregnant women.”
