Rhode Island § 40-6-8 - Public Assistance Act

§ 40-6-8. Supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP).

(a) The department shall have the responsibility to administer the food stamp program for the state in compliance with the provisions of the federal Food Stamp Act of 1964, as amended, 7 U.S.C. § 2011 et seq. The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is and shall be the new title of the program formerly known as the food stamp program. All references in the Rhode Island general laws to food stamps shall be deemed to mean, apply to, refer to, and be interpreted in accordance with the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP).

(b) The department is empowered and authorized to submit its plan for food stamps to the federal government, or any agency or department of it, as follows:

(1) The department shall act for the state in any negotiations relative to the submission and approval of a plan, and may make any arrangement or changes in its plan not inconsistent with this chapter that may be required by the Food Stamp Act or the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to it to obtain and retain such approval and to secure for this state the benefits of the provisions of the federal act relating to food stamps;

(2) The department shall make reports to the federal government, or any agency or department of it, in the form and nature required by it, and in all respects comply with any request or direction of the federal government, or any agency or department of it, that may be necessary to assure the correctness and verification of the reports; and

(3) The department shall develop a plan to streamline the application, certification, and recertification process for SNAP beneficiaries aged sixty (60) years and over.

(c) The department is authorized and directed to pay one hundred percent (100%) of the state’s share of the administrative cost involved in the operation of the food stamp program.

(d) No person shall be ineligible for food stamp benefits due solely to the restricted eligibility rules otherwise imposed by § 115(a)(2) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Pub. L. No. 104-193), 21 U.S.C. § 862a(a)(2), and as this section may hereafter be amended.

(e) To support a fiscally responsible and high-integrity Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Rhode Island department of human services (DHS), in consultation with the department of administration, shall submit a plan with initial recommendations to reduce the state’s SNAP Payment Error Rate (PER) to below six percent (6%), due on or before October 1, 2025, as part of the department’s annual budget submission.

Starting January 18, 2026, DHS shall report monthly on implementation progress and performance metrics as part of its existing legislative reporting framework. These updates shall be incorporated into DHS’s monthly House Oversight RIBridges Report to ensure transparency, minimize administrative burden, and align progress tracking with the state’s fiscal and policy planning cycles. Updates will include: timeliness and accuracy indicators; status of technology modernization efforts; staff training and readiness metrics; and the status of customer service enhancements and any correspondence with the federal government related to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payment error rates and/or penalties.