Key facts
- Alaska's SNAP payment error rate was 23% in the last federal fiscal year, the highest in the nation for the fourth consecutive year.
- The national average error rate was 11%.
- The majority of errors were overpayments.
- The Division of Public Assistance is implementing a modernization plan to improve accuracy.
- President Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' could shift costs to states with high error rates, though Alaska may be exempt until 2030.
- Alaska's administrative costs for SNAP are projected to increase by $11 million annually due to a separate provision in the Act.
Alaska's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has maintained the highest payment error rate in the nation for four consecutive years, with 23% of benefits being significantly over or underpaid in the last federal fiscal year. While this rate is a slight decrease from previous years, it remains more than double the national average of 11%. The majority of these errors are overpayments.
The Division of Public Assistance attributes the persistent high error rate to complex eligibility rules, manual processes, and workforce challenges, noting that modernization efforts are ongoing and expected to yield more significant improvements by 2028.
Alaska has incurred millions in federal fines for its error rates in recent years. President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' aims to shift a portion of SNAP costs to states based on their error rates, a change that could cost Alaska nearly $40 million annually. However, a provision secured with Senator Lisa Murkowski's support may exempt Alaska from this requirement until 2030. Separately, a reduction in federal administrative cost contributions will increase Alaska's annual SNAP program costs by approximately $11 million. The Agriculture Department emphasized that the high error rate does not indicate fraud but highlighted a lack of state accountability.