Alabama has earned the largest federal bonus in the history of the state’s Food Stamp Program. The state will receive a $4.3 million High Performance Bonus for Fiscal Year 2005.
In a letter to Governor Bob Riley, Eric Bost, Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Alabama was among the 10 states with the lowest food stamp payment error rates. The national average was 5.84 percent. Alabama’s Food Assistance Program had a payment error rate of 3.68 percent, the seventh lowest in the nation.
"I want to thank our partners at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for their recognition of the hard work of our county and state food stamp workers," said Department of Human Resources Commissioner Page Walley. "We will continue to improve and have set a goal of enrolling the hundreds of thousands of Alabamians who are eligible but have not enrolled in the Food Assistance Program," Commissioner Walley said.
In May 2006, 534,000 Alabamians received food stamp benefits.