Alaska again has highest SNAP error rate in US, but won’t pay penalties facing many other states

23.15% error rate is 4.49% above second-highest tally in 2025; but special provision in Trump-signed budget bill means worst states have an extra year to fix problem

SNAP EBT information sign is displayed at a gas station in Riverwoods, Ill., Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

The original version of this story has been updated with a response from the Alaska Department of Health.

Alaska again has the nation’s highest payment error rates for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, at 23.15% compared to the national average of 10.62% last year, according to a federal report released this week.

But because Alaska’s rate is abnormally high, it won’t face the financial penalties many other states with error rates above a congressionally set threshold of 6% are set to be hit with.

State-by-state error rates, referring to the percentage of SNAP benefits paid either above or below what people should have received, were released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The nationwide rate for 2025 was down slightly from more than 11% in 2024, but still well in excess of the 6% benchmark set in the Budget Reconciliation Act of 2025 (HR 1) signed into law on July 4 a year ago.

“These payment error rates are further proof that state accountability is severely lacking in SNAP,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a prepared statement. “USDA has taken historic action to help interested states curb SNAP waste, and I hope other states, regardless of political leadership, prioritize needy families and the American taxpayer over politics.”

States with error rates at or above the 6% threshold will be responsible for covering 5%, 10%, or 15% of their states’ benefits, with higher penalties for higher error rates, according to the statement. Those payments are set to begin on Oct.1, 2027, with the 2025 figures the first that can be used in those calculations.

But an exception in the budget law gives six states with the highest error rates — including Alaska — at least one additional year — to Oct. 1, 2028 — to reduce them without incurring penalties.

Data provided by USDA on Wednesday shows Alaska’s 23.15% error rate includes an overpayment rate of 20.58% and underpayment rate of 2.57%. The second-highest error rate was the District of Columbia at 18.66%, including a 15.33% overpayment rate and 3.33% underpayment rate. Nationally the overpayment rate was 9.28% and underpayment rate was 1.33%.

The error rate published this week "is based on a sample of cases that reflects past operations, not current performance," wrote Mirna Estrada, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Health, in an email Friday to the Juneau Independent.

"As a result, the error rate does not immediately capture the improvements DPA has already implemented," she wrote. "Our modernization efforts including major IT upgrades, workflow improvements, and process redesign are cumulative, with each milestone building on the last. DPA is currently in an accelerated period of modernization, and while we expect the error rate to continue declining year after year, the most significant improvements will not be reflected until these modernization efforts are fully implemented. That work is scheduled for completion in 2028."

Alaska's payment error rate in fiscal 2023 was 60.37%, compared to 24.66% a year later, according to Estrada.

Alaska was one of only two states with an increase in SNAP participants in 2025, according to a recently released study. More than 65,000 Alaskans were receiving food assistance through SNAP as of last September, according to the state health department.

The state has experienced major backlogs and other issues with public assistance programs in recent years, with officials citing a combination of funding-related staff cuts, policy changes, outdated technology and other disruptions such as federal government shutdowns.

Estada, in her email, stated "several projects have already been completed or are in production, while others are progressing through design, testing, and implementation."

"These projects are being implemented in phases because they require system development, testing, federal approvals, vendor coordination, and staff training," she wrote. "Overall, we continue to make meaningful progress while balancing ongoing program operations and implementation of new federal requirements."

The Associated Press reported Wednesday a recent survey of state agencies that run SNAP found that most already are analyzing the root causes of their payment errors. The mistakes appear to be evenly attributable to SNAP recipients and program administrators, and many states are planning to increase staff focused on eliminating errors, according to the survey released by American Public Human Services Association.

But states also are planning for cuts, if they are forced to pay a portion of SNAP benefits, according to the AP report. More than a quarter of the states responding to the survey said they could consider narrowing eligibility policies, and four states said they could consider withdrawing from SNAP entirely. The report did not list those states.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.