The Alabama Department of Human Resources, Food Assistance Division, recently received two awards during the Tri-Regional Food Stamp Program Improvement Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia. DHR received a Pinnacle Award for excellence in service delivery and a Financial Management Award for accuracy and timeliness of the annual Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) assurance statement.
The Alabama delegation of attendees included Commissioner, Page B. Walley and Food Assistance Director, Joyce P. O’Neal. Also attending were state office staff and county directors from Alabama’s large counties.
In 2006, the Alabama Department of Human Resources continued to work towards improving its administration of the Food Stamp program. The State lowered its payment error rate from 3.68% in 2005 to 3.39% (state reported) in 2006, which is well below the projected national average. This improvement is attributed to Alabama’s constant search for diverse strategies that target the payment error rate.
In the Southeast Region, the Alabama DHR was recognized for accuracy and timeliness of the annual Electronic Benefit Transfer ( EBT) assurance statement. The EBT contractor’s system balanced with the U.S. Treasury Account Management Agent and Automated Standard Application for Payment systems, and the annual assurance was submitted well in advance of the deadline.