Since 2022, hundreds of Georgia residents have confronted delays in receiving their SNAP (Supplemental Diet Help Program) advantages, with tens of hundreds not getting them on time, 11Alive stories.
The Georgia Division of Human Providers has grappled with a backlog challenge for a yr.
Many Georgians, reminiscent of Koren Gibbs, have encountered points with their SNAP advantages. Though “accepted,” the mom of a 4-month-old son has not but gotten entry to meals stamps. In her case, as with others, calling a caseworker is futile, as state staff are bombarded with claims on account of a staffing scarcity.
Gibbs mentioned she needed to take into account going to a meals pantry due to the delay. She referred to as to confirm her advantages earlier than purchasing and confirmed that the declare nonetheless hadn’t been absolutely processed.
“I’m so glad I referred to as earlier than I went to the shop as a result of I might have had a cartful of meals and no approach to pay for it,” Gibbs mentioned.
The delay in SNAP advantages has affected households throughout Georgia as they battle to deal with not getting access to meals. Some have shared their tales, highlighting the hardship they face and the insufficient response from the authorities.
“For the previous two weeks, I’ve needed to get up to ‘Mommy, I’m hungry.’ Or ‘Mommy, we don’t have any meals,’” mentioned one mother or father to 11Alive. Others confronted challenges reaching caseworkers or supervisors who might help.
11Alive has been investigating the problem for a yr. As of October 16, greater than 119,000 SNAP renewals are pending and 36,915 have exceeded the 30-day processing requirement imposed by federal regulation.
A spokesperson for the Georgia Division of Human Providers defined that SNAP profit renewals are being processed as rapidly as attainable, ranging from the oldest renewal. The division has tried to raised handle the delays by providing extra time to present case specialists and hiring new staff.
“We’re additionally providing stipends to incentivize subject management workers to hold a caseload,” the spokesperson mentioned. “Since January, we have now employed 923 new Financial Help Specialist 1 employees–and secured hundreds of thousands in new funding by means of legislative advocacy to make that attainable.”
Nonetheless, a caseworker spoke anonymously and expressed considerations about workers turnover, the elevated quantity of latest purposes, and the backlog. Though there was some enchancment in staffing and caseloads over the summer season, the caseloads now look like again at related ranges.
Delays in SNAP advantages can have far-reaching penalties, affecting baby welfare and parental stress, famous Melissa Carter, government director of the Barton Baby Regulation and Coverage Heart at Emory Regulation Faculty. Households face problem protecting important bills, and kids’s wants typically go unmet.
“We all know that when these advantages are interrupted or once they’re delayed and definitely when there are prolonged delays to accessing these advantages, the dad and mom are having to make selections about paying different payments or securing meals for kids,” Carter informed 11Alive . “Tradeoffs like accessing well timed and ample well being care, for instance, or paying hire, and people problems with healthcare, of housing instability are additionally problems with fundamental wants of kids and likewise give rise to considerations and stories about neglect.”
