The department of state government which handles food stamps made progress in removing the accumulated backlog of thousands of Alaskans waiting for assistance However, it needs to work on its efforts.
Families need to be able to have their incomes checked regularly to ensure they continue receiving food stamps. However, the sluggishness of those recertifications meant that families waited for months for food assistance. In March only 4% of the recertifications were processed in time. However, latest Division of Public Assistance data indicates a rise and now more than 50% of recertifications are completed within one month.
It’s a long way from the goal which is to have everything done in 30 days, however Division Director Deb Etheridge stated on Monday that the results show things are heading in the right direction.
“Once we get rid of these backlog numbers, you begin to see the true timeliness. For as long as there are backlog numbers that are not visible, it’s impossible to be able to discern the real timeline,” she said.
In the end it is slow as the division is trying to overcome the deficit. Etheridge stated that the division has completed processing the bulk of its backlog which is recertifications. They account for the bulk portion of backlog which began to take over the state in the fall of last year and increased throughout winter and into spring.
The queue of new applicants is also down up to 5,500 individuals and their families. Of these, around 252 are expedited applications that are expected to be processed in 10 days. Applications are eligible for expediting due to a variety of reasons, including the need for financial assistance that is extreme. Etheridge stated that she hopes her department can complete the speeded list in few weeks.
State data show that the division has processed only half of these new applications for food stamps in time, however Etheridge stated that it was because the division was focusing on removing the wait list of recertifications as well as expedited applications.
“You will not see any improvement in the timeliness of new applications or in the speed of progress on this chart, but you will notice it in recertifications” she explained. “That’s just part of the process.”
There are fewer people waiting
In the midst that the queue was clogged, individuals waiting longer than a month to receive food stamps may seek help for free through Alaska Legal Services to ask for a hearing so that they can get the state to review their application. The demand for the service was so overwhelming early this year, that the organization added additional lawyers to assist. Leigh Dickey, the group’s advocacy director, has said that they’ve seen a rise in demand, but it’s slowed however it’s not gone away.
“We are receiving less requests for assistance,” she said. “But we’re still seeing clients experiencing delays in recertification. Also, I’m aware that the state has claimed that they have completed all of the SNAP Recertification Backlog. This isn’t the case according to our cases.”
Dickey said that the group has received requests to assistance with recertifications in the months of April, May and June.
Etheridge explained that sometimes recertification applications are delayed due to the waiting for additional information. Also, she explained, people who waited too long recertify and then have to apply again which is why the system counts the application as a new one instead of a recertificationeven if the person previously received food stamps. If there are Alaskans who are waiting to receive the process of recertification she’d like to hear from them: “We’ll process that application,” she said.
Solutions
The state is expected to launch an online application form for food stamps before December According to Etheridge. It was developed and re-evaluated and is being tested by Federal government officials. The majority of states utilize these programs. The advantages include less paper work for clients, better applications for employees, and less reliance on post, Etheridge said.
This division is also home to a fresh cohort of 15 employees who are expected to be trained in the near future, she added Some of them have been promoted within the department.
“We’re not increasing the number of employees as quickly as I’d like observe,” she said, but she also said that one of the reasons slow growth is due to internal employees – meaning the state is required to fill vacancies created by promotions, along with some changes.
This article first appeared in Alaska Beacon and is republished here with permission.
