Anchorage, Alaska (KTUU) – Families in Alaska are reporting significant delays in receiving state benefits and assistance over the past few months, from SNAP to child care assistance.
Department of Health Communications Director Clinton Bennett has provided a written statement outlining the DPA’s position on the backlog.
“The Department of Public Assistance (DPA) is experiencing delays in the SNAP application process affecting approximately 8,000 households that have applied from September 2022 to date,” Bennett wrote. We estimate that this caused a 90-120 day delay in the normal processing of SNAP recertifications, which are being worked on in chronological order.”
According to Bennett, there are three main reasons for the delay. These include a tipping point in the impact of the July 2022 state public health emergency declaration, a high vacancy rate for DPA staff, and his May 2021 cyberattack that disrupted automated services. It contains great confusion.
Several services have not returned to full automation or operation since the cyber attack: online and electronic notification, online renewal and recertification process, online application, manual issuance of SNAP emergency assignments, automatic Medicaid renewal on EIS. 12-month accreditation for manual treatment of , pandemic manual treatment EBT, and SNAP.
Another factor that has been stressing the system since July 2022 was the waiver of the interview requirement for all applicants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal government allowed the state to apply for waivers again in his October, so filings after that month wouldn’t slow down for that particular reason.
Kayla McCarthy, a Kodiak resident mother of two, said she has been waiting months for childcare and financial assistance from the state. This process took too long, forcing her to achieve her ends in other ways.
“Every time we call the 1-800 number, there are about 400 people in line,” says McCarthy.
She explained that the process itself seemed opaque, that each service required separate procedures and applications, and that the information wasn’t clear from the beginning of the process.
“We want to close this case once and for all because we are now forced to find other sources of income,” McCarthy said. Four months ago.”
Cara Durr, chief of advocacy and public policy for the Alaska Food Bank, frequently communicates with recipients of social services such as food stamps. She says she’s seen system backlogs and the stress it puts on families and individuals.
“We have seen real increases over the last year through our partners. It has to do with rising,” said Dahl.
Durr said he personally observed application processing delays taking months to complete. But Durr says it’s a multi-layered, complex problem to tackle.
“We know one of the causes of this backlog is the public health emergency that has ended in our state,” said Durr. “So there will be some new requirements for programs that were abandoned during the pandemic. I think that’s part of what’s causing it.”
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