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DHR director says SNAP error rate rising to ~9%; agency warns of steep federal recoupments
Summary
Miss Buckner told the committee the SNAP QC error rate is likely near 9% and flagged the potential fiscal shock of federal recoupments; she described anti‑fraud steps, a chip‑card rollout and pending federal waiver requests.
Miss Buckner, leading the Department of Human Resources, briefed the committee on SNAP, TANF and child‑welfare operations and said the agency estimates an SNAP Quality Control (QC) error rate of roughly 9 percent.
"We think our error rate is probably gonna be 9%," Buckner said, noting the official QC numbers were not yet published. She and other staff described ways the error rate can rise (timeliness issues, office closures, reporting delays), pending waivers to change QC timing, and pending bills that could increase error scoring.
Fraud and enforcement: Buckner told legislators that electronic exploitation has accounted for much of recent SNAP fraud, that Alabama adopted a chip card and worked with federal partners to trace out‑of‑state abuses. In fiscal 2025 the agency opened 870 suspected intentional‑violation investigations (about $3 million), 31 trafficking claims ($25,000), and reported roughly $7 million in SNAP recoveries historically, with the state retaining a portion for program administration.
Fiscal risk and options: Committee members asked about the scale of potential federal recoupments if error rates do not improve; DHR estimated the exposure could be in the hundreds of millions and said it is pursuing training, staffing and waiver strategies while urging legislative attention to policies that might increase error rates.
The agency recommended more local community outreach to help recipients comply with reporting requirements and described internal spot checks and quality improvements already underway.
