Due to a backlog at the Division of Public Assistance, thousands of Alaskans have been without food stamps since months.
Heidi Hedberg, the Health Commissioner, stated that the backlog was due to a 2021 cyberattack as well as a large influx of paperwork following the end of the state’s public health emergency. Sources within and outside of the division claim the problem extends far beyond that. They attribute the backlog to chronic understaffing, and claim that the division was thrown into chaos by deep workforce cuts in 2021.
Many of the thousands Alaskans who depend on government assistance claim they are desperate for help. State workers claim they’ve been threatened with violence and harassed, which has made them feel unsafe at their jobs.
KTOO spoke to two employees from the Division of Public Assistance, who claim that mismanagement and inadequate staffing are responsible for the long wait for food stamps. This is a systemic problem that has been ignored for many years. They are backed up by Providence Medical Center social workers, case managers and union officials.
KTOO won’t use their names for fear of losing their jobs for speaking out.
span style=”font weight: 400 We’ve been in an backlog for years,” stated one state eligibility worker who was willing to be quoted. Eligibility workers are responsible for processing paperwork for benefits such as food stamps or Medicaid for the Division of Public Assistance. This isn’t just about the COVID thing being over. We asked for help and were ignored by them.”
Alaskans pay for budget cuts
According to the employee, workloads became too heavy after Dunleavy’s administration eliminated more than 100 jobs from Division of Public Assistance in 2021. This left offices with a short staff.
However, the state was warned that this was a bad idea.
The first was in 2018, when the office of the state ombudsman investigated the Division of Public Assistance to see if it had similar backlog issues and recommended that they hire more staff. The state followed this advice and complaints fell significantly.
In 2021 budget meeting the Food Bank of Alaska requested that the state reconsider its cuts, because it had foreseen this problem.
Cara Durr, a representative of the food bank, warned the legislature about the fact that pandemic waivers cut down on the amount of work required to get Alaskans benefits. However work would resume when the waivers were liftedspan styling=”font-weight 400 ;”>.
She wrote that she saw firsthand how it played out between September and December last year, when we decided not to renew key waivers. The result was dramatic increases of application times.
However, the state eliminated the jobs.
According to Hedberg the health commissioner, there weren’t any layoffs. Instead, the health commissioner Hedberg stated that the posts were left vacant by attrition.
Union numbers show that the workforce of the division has declined by more than 60 people since 2021.
span style=”font weight: 400 The director agreed that it would be okay, but it increased my workload by two-thirds. The anonymous eligibility worker stated that I have had to work over 100 hours per month.
The state didn’t need to recertify anyone who had received food stamps, so most recipients didn’t notice. This flexibility helped hide the division’s staffing issues at first. However, they were exposed when Alaskans had their paperwork resubmitted after the state’s summer public health emergency was lifted.
The eligibility worker stated that it was the straw that broke his back.
The wait times for food stamp recipients in Alaska grew rapidly over the summer.
The situation has become so dire that eligibility workers claim that Alaskans in need of aid have harassed them online, threatened them in grocery shops, and even found their personal phone numbers. They claim they are afraid for their safety at work.
The eligibility worker stated that span style=”font weight: 400 They are desperate.” “They are crying because their children are starving. This is the worst I have ever seen .”
Also, You may be eligible for medical insurance.
Short-staffing doesn’t just affect food stamps. Short-staffing is also affecting Medicaid recipients.
span style=”font weight: 400 Unfortunately it’s the elderly or the marginalized in our community that don’t get a voice or have great representation,” stated Heidi Young, owner of Island Health, a Southeast Alaska care center. She works to obtain Medicaid for clients throughout the state.
“It’s unacceptable to wait for months for your Medicaid case or your food stamp case. It’s unacceptable .”
Young stated that some clients have to make a choice between buying food or paying for medication. Young said that some clients are unable to get Medicaid forms approved after they have been in the hospital. They remain there and cannot be discharged to lower care levels like nursing homes without Medicaid approval.
Young stated that these are people who can’t come home from the hospital. These are people who can’t get home from the hospital .”
Young stated that she does not understand why the state does not extend emergency benefits, even though it is reducing the backlog.
“I think Alaskans need more support than that,” Young stated. “I think Alaskans require more support than the .”
State workers are in trouble
The union representing eligibility workers described stress at the public assistance offices that led to many resignations.
span style=”font weight: 400 It’s a turning door,” said one worker. “We’re dropping like flies. They aren’t investing in keeping employees .”
The union representing 348 Division of Public Assistance workers is Alaska State Employees Association Local 52.
span style=”font weight: 400 It is not the employees that have created the backlog,” said Interim Executive Director MaryAnn Ganacias. They’re doing everything they can.”
Ganacias stated that her members are unhappy with the lack of staff and inadequate compensation. However, her main concern lately is worker safety.
span style=”font weight: 400 Clients harassing them and yelling at them is a common occurrence, but it has escalated,” she stated. She stated that the union requested guards and bulletproof glass at public assistance offices to protect them.
Suzan Hartlieb is a member of the union’s special committee that serves members of Division of Public Assistance.
“They’re overworked, they’re tired. They are being denied personal time. She said, “You know, there aren’t enough people in this workforce, and they’re just overwhelmed.”
Hartlieb stated that there was an incident last week at the Juneau public aid office where a client shouted at eligibility workers, and threatened to bring his gun. According to Commissioner Heidi Hedberg, the state has removed that client from all state offices.
Hartlieb stated that an attack on a University Center worker in Anchorage in October was severe enough to warrant emergency medical attention.
Commissioner Hedberg stated that some offices have security and that the state is looking into additional safety measures. Ganacias however said that the state has not fulfilled the union’s safety improvement requests.
The state announced that it will be onboarding approximately 30 new workersspan styling=”font-weight 400 ;”>. Ganacias doubts that Alaskans will get the relief they require. She would like to know how the state plans on keeping those workers, when so many have quit due to problems that she claims the state hasn’t fixed.
She asked, “Will they stay around if it’s not safe?”
