Auditors: State Misspent Food Stamp Money

(BOISE, ID) – State auditors say the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare misspent $2.5 million in federal aid that should’ve gone to families on food stamps. Officials reportedly used the leftover funds from 2008 to pay for salaries and other non-assistance costs last year. Federal rules require that those funds be used exclusively for assisting needy residents, but Health and Welfare authorities maintain that a 2009 rule enables them to use excess money for paying salaries and other expenses.