USDA officials indicated last week that certain states "have not served . . . taxpayers well," according to a letter from the agency to state food-stamp administrators that was first reported on by the Associated Press.

The essential criticism is that although many people are eligible for food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, they do not receive them, in part because of bureaucratic processing difficulties.

The USDA issued the rebuke a week after releasing its annual report on hunger, with the dismal news that 17 million Americans have trouble getting enough to eat. It's the highest number recorded since the USDA began keeping track in 1995.

The USDA report, based on 2007 data, said that nationwide, an average of 66 percent of eligible Americans got food stamps. In Pennsylvania, the number was 76 percent, making the state 11th-best in the country, according to USDA figures.

The best-performing state was Missouri, where 100 percent of those eligible for food stamps got them.

It's a different story in New Jersey, where just 59 percent of those who qualify got the benefits.

At 41st, the state was near the bottom of the list, where Wyoming had the dubious distinction of being the worst-functioning state, with only 47 percent of eligible residents getting food stamps.

New Jersey officials could not be reached for comment.

Despite its poor performance, New Jersey is making efforts to improve, said Adele LaTourette, director of the nonprofit New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition, headquartered in Englewood, Bergen County.

"I do think the state is trying, and under Gov. Corzine, it's made food stamps a priority," LaTourette said yesterday.

The biggest problem is that New Jersey counties, which run the federally funded program along with the state, do not have enough caseworkers to process claims, LaTourette said.

"If the county can't afford enough caseworkers, you will still have big delays to get food stamps," she said.

State officials, however, have made important changes to increase the reach of the benefits, LaTourette said.

Chief among them is that people who are working, elderly, or disabled no longer have to show up in county offices in person to apply for food stamps. Applications may now be made by phone, a major convenience, LaTourette said. Pennsylvanians can also apply by phone.

Beginning Feb. 1, people whose gross income is 185 percent of the federal poverty level or less will be eligible for food stamps in New Jersey. Currently, only people making up to 130 percent of the poverty line are eligible.

The poverty line for a family of four is $22,500 annually. At 130 percent of poverty, such a family grosses nearly $28,000 a year. At 185 percent, it's $40,793.

In July, Pennsylvania changed its eligibility levels from 130 percent of poverty to 160 percent, which is $33,924 a year for a family of four.

Though "it's great to say that Pennsylvania is better than many other states," said Rachel Meeks, a food-stamp analyst with the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, it "still has all sorts of problems."

Meeks criticized the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, which administers the federal program, for demanding that applicants provide more personal information than the federal government requires.

Beyond federal guidelines that ask applicants for basic identification and income information, Pennsylvania demands data on mortgages, utility bills, deductions for child care, and other expenses, she said.

Meeks said that it's meant to keep error rates low but that "over-requiring such information overworks caseworkers. And there aren't enough caseworkers to being with."

Linda Blanchette, deputy secretary of the Office of Income Maintenance at DPW, said yesterday, "Pennsylvania asks for the right level of information to make sure we have integrity and accountability in the program and that we are getting people the right level of benefits. We work hard to keep error rates low."

She added that although there had been reductions in the number of caseworkers, DPW was adept at making up for the shortfalls.

She pointed out that the USDA has lauded DPW for the accuracy of its program and that the agency processed applications quickly.

In Philadelphia, Meeks said, where about 370,000 people - 26 percent of the population - receive food stamps, an additional 150,000 residents are eligible for them but do not receive them.