Mary Wooden has been ready for meals stamps since she filed a renewal software in August. She takes care of three of her grandsons intermittently, and certified for greater than $800 a month in advantages.
“Round Christmas it was actually hell,” she stated. “I instructed my landlord, ‘I don’t have any cash to offer you. I can’t even purchase the youngsters presents.”
Now she says her fridge and freezer are all however empty — she and her grandsons eat issues like oatmeal, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and dehydrated emergency meals rations that she’d bought in case of a pure catastrophe. “It’s survival meals,” she stated, and added that she often provides meat or greens to it when she will.
Wooden borrowed cash from her daughter to maintain up with payments for just a few months. She stated she is now behind on hire once more after she spent her earnings on meals, however feels fortunate as a result of her landlord hasn’t kicked her out — as a substitute he shares moose meat along with her and offers her quarters for the laundry machine.
She stated she’s visited and referred to as the Division of Public Help a number of instances, they usually inform her the appliance is within the system so she simply has to attend. She stated the state of affairs makes her really feel nugatory. “It’s actually arduous,” she stated.
She’s one in all 1000’s of Alaskans who waited for months for meals stamps, as a result of excessive delays within the Division of Public Help. The state says it has labored via 1000’s of backlogged purposes, however 1000’s extra Alaskans are nonetheless with out meals advantages.
Chipping away at an 18,000 individual backlog
The state’s personal reporting says that to date in 2023, the Division of Public Help has processed fewer than a 3rd of its meals stamp renewals on time this fiscal 12 months. However division Director Deb Etheridge stated that’s been turning round in current months.
“I’m feeling actually constructive,” she stated. “We’ve carried out some fairly vital adjustments in our staffing sample, to ensure that us to not solely care for the backlog, but in addition guarantee that it doesn’t develop.”
The state pledged to chop its 10,000 individual wait listing for brand new meals stamp profit purposes in half by the top of October because of a class-action lawsuit filed in Could. Etheridge stated that the backlog is down to eight,794 individuals as of final week. If the state fails to fulfill the deadline the lawsuit will proceed, however Etheridge stated they’re on monitor. Employees is split into groups: Some work on the backlog whereas others sort out incoming purposes for meals stamps. A 3rd group works on Medicaid renewals.
And Etheridge is celebrating a partial victory: The division cleared all of the recertification purposes in its backlog. There have been greater than 8,000 of these earlier this 12 months, she stated.
The state has put tens of millions of {dollars} in direction of fixing the issue since this spring, together with $6.8 million of state and federal funds towards workers for the Division of Public Help. Etheridge stated she’s employed 46 new eligibility staff and has 19 positions posted. Twenty extra hires are at present pending.
“We’re actually aggressively recruiting to rent,” she stated. “We’re not adequately staffed up but for conserving present.”
As of this month, the typical resolution time for SNAP advantages this fiscal 12 months was practically 60 days — double the federal restrict.
“It’s getting higher. It’s getting hopeful.”
An eligibility employee that spoke out about understaffing and systemic points within the Division of Public Help within the early days of the backlog stated that issues have circled since this April. Eligibility staff course of paperwork for state advantages. The Beacon will not be utilizing their title as a result of they concern they may lose their job for talking out.
“It’s getting higher, it’s getting hopeful,” they stated.
The eligibility employee stated they and their colleagues are again to processing circumstances and getting individuals meals stamp advantages once more, slightly than being tied up on the telephone with distraught households. That’s thanks partly to the state hiring contract staff to deal with its telephone system.
However the eligibility employee stated one other stress level is gone, too. From October of final 12 months till this April, eligibility staff weren’t allowed to course of circumstances on the telephone. They stated new administration modified that.
“This director and commissioner have been actually engaged on getting it finished, on getting us truly working circumstances,” they stated. “We’re capable of assist individuals like we haven’t been capable of earlier than.”
The eligibility employee stated Mary Woods’ nine-month wait is fairly regular—it’s what occurs when an software is submitted into the system, however not entered into the database. The employee stated they noticed just a few different circumstances from August within the final couple of weeks and it’s seemingly different eligibility technicians do, too.
They are saying they’re additionally enthusiastic about coverage adjustments within the division that ought to cut back the paperwork burden on households and workers. Alaskans used to must renew their meals stamps purposes each six months, however that can be elevated to a 12 months. And beginning in December, there can be a web-based software for meals stamps like in the remainder of the nation.
“I’m pleased with our union, administration and staff for doing this work,” they stated. “It’s about time.”