School Meal Program: Options for Improving the Verification of Student Eligibility

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO: (1) examined the impact that the documentation and verification requirements in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 had on school meal program error rates in the 1984 to 1985 school year; (2) evaluated procedures that school food authorities used to document and verify applicants' eligibility for school meal benefits; and (3) identified alternatives to the current documentation and verification procedures.