The state office responsible for managing food stamps has made progress on tackling the slowing of benefits for thousands of Alaskans However, new issues have arisen.
Advocates have recently said appeals for denied or delayed applications is not working. The advocates from the Alaska Legal Services Corporation are aiding potential food stamp recipients during court hearings and say that the state has been taking an inexplicably long time to review applications.
The state accused the delay of a cyberattack as well as the flood of applications that occurred at the conclusion of the official health emergency relating to COVID. COVID pandemic. State employees who were anonymous informed reporter Claire Stremple that budget reductions and staffing shortages led to long lines for Alaskans hungry for food.
Stremple is employed by The Alaska Beacon now and spoke with Alaska Public Media’s Wesley Early about her continuing reportage on issues with food stamps within Alaska.
Listen:
The interview was edited lightly to improve clarity and length.
Wesley early:So can you walk us through this legal proceeding regarding the food stamp benefits that are in the backlog?
Claire Stremple:Yeah that was the case in the early part of this year. In January 10, a group of Alaskans filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health because they’d had to wait too long for food stamps. They’re also referred by the name of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). It’s a federally-run program that the states manage. However, it must manage within certain limits such as getting the paperwork of people completed and the benefits they receive for them in less than 30 days. The State’s Department of Health wasn’t working at a speed that was fast enough which led to the lawsuit. In the end during May the department announced that it would promise to reduce its backlog by half in six months, in the event that plaintiffs agreed to put the lawsuit off. If they did not to do so, the case could be continued. The best part is that the state appears to have taken the right steps. New director for the Division of Public Assistance, Deb Etheridge, is the manager of the department that oversees food stamps. She’s been working with staff members to clear the backlog, which as it is revealed was massive. Federal data show that the state was behind on more than 19,000 applications. They appear to have gotten through most of the backlog as well as all the recertifications.
Wesley Early:So it appears that the government, following these lawsuits, realized just how significant the food stamps benefits were and the magnitude of the benefits.
Claire StrempleIt’s occasionally difficult to determine the numbers due to the fact that the state’s status is reported in a year-long format, making it difficult to monitor the progress or if things aren’t working well. So, they spit out month-to-month data on processing times for benefits and this shows that they’ve turned things around, however, things were not perfect. At the peak of the backlog State’s Division of Public Assistance was processing a mere 10 percent of all applications in time. In the period from December 2022 through April 2023 just 10 percent the applications were processed within the timeframe that is legally required. In the span of four months 90 % of Alaskans who attempted to be approved for food benefits and recertified were awaiting more than 30 days.
Wesley early:And it sounds like you can also get legal assistance through The Legal Services Corporation. What can you say about that job?
Claire Stremple:What’s particularly interesting is it’s not only lawyers of Alaska Legal Services, but also a group of volunteers. They also helped over thousands of people obtain fair hearings. They’re simply an appeal to states, saying, “Hey. You’re late. That’s illegal. I’m requesting my benefits to be filed.” This is what the government does. The state helped the people get the money they need for food and other necessities, which is huge since there were some who waited several months. One family I spoke about with a lawyer volunteer The family had been waiting for long enough and received nearly $20,000. which the state owed them to cover food.
Wesley early:Wow. And now I know appeals are the main issue with obtaining benefits. Are you able to explain those issues with delays and appeals in these cases?
Claire Stremple:So those fair hearing appeals we’ve been discussing occur because there are some delays in receiving benefits, despite the state returning to normal. There’s a shortage in staffing for the group who make the appeals of the Department of Health to the Department of Administration that schedules appeals. It’s a bit complicated however the fact is Alaska Legal Services is really concerned because they’re anticipating many more appeals due to a different reason. All across the country, states must review their Medicaid rolls to ensure that all beneficiaries are eligible for the benefits. This is because during the pandemic there was no loss of benefits. They were put on hold to make sure that everyone had medical attention. Now, that department that is fighting to overcome an unending backlog of food stamps is also putting together a lot of paperwork to complete for a different type of benefit. They’re also worried that there could be another backlog this time around for Medicaid.
Wesley The Early Years:Well, it sounds that some people are just beginning to receive benefits. The family you mentioned received $20,000 of the State. Even if they’re getting it right now, I’m sure a lot of damage was already done.
Claire Stremple: Yeah. What I’ve heard from people who’ve gotten their benefits over a long period of time is that, number one, they’re happy, relieved, and content. In addition, they’re a little anxious because of the urgent things they needed to take care of to ensure their families had enough food which took an cost. Rents were not paid on time and many were racking up credit card debt. This is which I’ve heard lots about. This is a problem that can be exacerbated by fees, and the back benefits don’t have to be accompanied by interest. So, people are paying back and enduring the consequences for quite a while.
