Thousands of Georgians saw their food stamps cut off this month after they did not receive a notice to renew their benefits, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned. The problem, which state officials blamed largely on a vendor’s computer glitch, left many struggling to provide a Thanksgiving dinner.
The state Division of Family and Children Services acknowledged that many recipients did not get the customary reminder in October. But they said each recipient was sent an initial renewal notice, as usual, in September, directing them to renew the following month.
However, Nancy Rhinehart, an attorney with Atlanta Legal Aid, said several clients told her they received no notice in advance. Their November benefits simply failed to show up on their EBT cards.
“We’re talking about people not having food on Thanksgiving,” Rhinehart said.
Dionne Horn, a 44-year-old single mother and full-time student, had to scrap plans for a turkey in favor of a more modest spread.
“Cereal and rice,” said Horn, of Covington. She hasn’t had any food stamp money since late September. “My daughter’s been eating Ramen noodles twice a day.”
It remains unclear how many people lost their benefits because fewer letters went out. In any given month, thousands of people become ineligible — because, for instance, their income increases. DFCS said the number of people cancelled this month was about 25,000 above average.
Rhinehart said that number suggests to her that many recipients got no notice at all.
DFCS officials noted that recipients, who must renew every six months, are informed upon approval when their benefits will expire. Still, local advocates say people depend on the letters to inform them their benefits are running out.
DFCS officials said people such as Horn can reapply and, if approved, will receive full benefits for the month of November. Re-approval can take up to 30 days, but officials said more dire cases will be addressed within seven days.
However, people trying to renew say they face a slew of obstacles, both in calling the agency and submitting applications online. Last month, the AJC exposed rampant problems with the DFCS call-in system. Callers can be on hold for hours, and each month hundreds of thousands of calls — many of them regarding food stamps and Medicaid — go unanswered.
In addition, recipients told the AJC that the DFCS website, which accepts food stamp applications, is frequently down. This week, the agency announced its website would be down from 5 p.m. Wednesday through 10 a.m. Saturday to implement changes required in the Affordable Care Act.
DFCS also had a problem sending out notices regarding food stamps and Medicaid this summer, and some people lost benefits in error.
This week, DFCS officials declined a request for an interview but provided a written statement.
“DFCS staff have worked extended hours and overtime to address the closures,” the statement said.
Regarding the website problems, it said: “The systems that support our process occasionally experience slowness or other issues that impact our business operations. These issues are addressed immediately and generally resolved quickly.”
The agency had previously announced that it would add 100 temporary workers to help the 600 now handling phone calls.
The recent notification errors also affected more than 18,000 Georgians who receive Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for the poor. But officials said the agency was able to restore the benefits that were wrongly cancelled without each person submitting an new application. All but 400 people have seen their Medicaid benefits reinstated, the DFCS statement said.
Horn saw both her Medicaid and food stamp allocation of $369 cut off. She said she didn’t receive any renewal or cancellation notice, and she’s been trying to renew her food stamps for weeks.
Food stamps represent about a third of the monthly income for her and her 14-year-old daughter. She earns about $200 a week house-cleaning and caring for an elderly woman. The family’s refrigerator holds little more than a bottle of Coke, and some juice and milk. Her sister paid her rent last month.
Her Medicaid has not been reinstated, she said, and she’s worried because she’ll soon need to refill pills for her daughter’s heart condition.
“This has been nothing but trouble,” Horn said.
One Albany woman, who requested anonymity because she feared reprisal from DFCS, said she never received any renewal notice. On Nov. 2 she got a letter saying her food stamps had been terminated.
She went to her DFCS office and filed a renewal application. When she didn’t hear back, she tried calling the agency but was placed on hold for two hours, only to hear the line go dead. The next call had her waiting an hour to speak to a DFCS worker, who told her she had been scheduled for a phone interview earlier that day. But nobody had notified her of the appointment.
Her benefits have not been renewed. Her family will be eating Thanksgiving at a relative’s home.
“It’s a big mess,” she said. “A big mess.”
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