Pursuit's Take
Annually, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) determines which Federal programs are considered high-priority based on improper payment data reported in agencies’ annual Performance and Accountability Report (PAR).
The fiscal year 2010 threshold was $750 million in improper payments.
OMB determined that the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) were high-priority programs. According to USDA’s corrective action plans, in fiscal year 2009, SNAP and NSLP improper payments cost taxpayers an estimated $2.195 billion (4.36 percent of total SNAP outlays) and $1.453 billion (16.28 percent of total NSLP outlays), respectively.