AJC — April 4, 2014 | Full article here
Gov. Nathan Deal, facing the threatened loss of $76 million in federal funding, announced a plan to help the state’s troubled food stamp system by clearing a few thousand backlogged applications.
Deal told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he instructed Department of Human Services Commissioner Keith Horton to seek a federal waiver that would speed the approval of 2,673 food stamp applications from some of the neediest Georgians.
He said the waiver would allow quick approval of the applicants, but the state would later verify each applicant’s eligibility and recoup the benefits if they’re found to be ineligible.
It would apply to applicants with little or no income, Deal said.
In general, Deal’s plan represents a short-term fix of a much larger problem with the food stamp system. State officials will not only have to clear a backlog of overdue cases, but provide compelling evidence that they are moving to fix a system plagued by understaffing, antiquated technology and a call-in center that cannot handle all the calls that come in.
— AJC staff writers Craig Schneider and Greg Bluestein
April 5, 2014 | Full article here
State Human Services Commissioner Keith Horton said his agency’s full-court press in recent months — including an intensive overtime program and the hiring of a few hundred extra workers — has reduced the backlog of cases from about 65,000 in late February to about 5,500.
“We’ve made great strides over the past month, ” Horton said during a news conference, “but we are not out of the woods yet.”
The state must convince federal officials that it is making systemic changes that will fix a system plagued by understaffing, antiquated technology and a call-in center that cannot handle all the calls that come in.
Applicants calling for help have been placed on hold for hours, or their calls simply went unanswered. Many lost their benefits because they must reapply every six months but couldn’t get through.
“It’s going to take us some time to be where we need to be, ” Horton said.
To that end, the state plans to replace the system’s call-in center by the end of the year, and revamp its food stamp eligibility system by 2015.
— AJC staff writer Craig Schneider
April 16 | Full article here
Federal officials have sharpened their threat to withhold millions of dollars from Georgia’s food stamp system, giving the state a 30-day deadline to show significant progress.
Should it fail to meet the May 14 deadline, Georgia could lose up to $15 million in administrative funds for the food assistance program that serves 1.7 million people.
The federal government pays for food stamps but splits the administrative costs with the state. The Food and Nutrition Service had previously threatened to withdraw all of its $75 million contribution as early as May 1. But, recognizing the state has made progress, it reduced the penalty to a figure up to $15 million.
— AJC staff writer Craig Schneider
