The Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) reacted on Friday to Alabama’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payment error rate (PER) increasing in fiscal year 2025.
Alabama’s SNAP PER increased to 9.52% in fiscal year 2025.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Wednesday released each state’s PER, which measures how accurately states determine who is eligible for SNAP and how much they should receive.
States with error rates at or above the 6% threshold will be responsible for covering 5%, 10% or 15% of their states’ benefits due to a recent federal rule change. The national PER for fiscal year 2025 was 10.62%, far surpassing the congressional threshold of 6%.
Alabama had a 9.52% PER in fiscal year 2025, 8.82% was from overpayments and .7% from underpayments. Alabama’s PER in fiscal year 2024 was 8.32%.
“The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was passed shortly before the end of FY 2025, so error rates for that fiscal year were essentially set,” a spokesperson for DHR told 1819 News on Friday. “When this data is reviewed, sometimes it can be over a year old. Alabama DHR continues to prioritize error rate solutions that include staff training, policy changes, procedure adjustments, and automation. Please note that payment error rates are not a calculation of fraud, but primarily a measure of unintentional actions by clients in reporting changes regarding their households.”
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