Georgia Responds to Federal Notice with Plan to Address Significant SNAP Application Delays

Takeaways:

• The Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) has submitted a corrective action plan (CAP) to address a "severe" backlog in processing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applications after being warned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• The backlog is attributed to two main causes: a shortage of staff and a slowdown in training new employees, with many new hires being trained for Medicaid re-determinations instead of SNAP.

• To resolve the issue, DHS plans to reallocate veteran staff back to processing initial SNAP applications once the renewal backlog decreases and to train new staff on SNAP processing first.

• The DHS aims to improve processing times by 5-6% and has provided $54 million for additional contracted caseworkers to process Medicaid renewals.

• The state of Georgia has also responded to concerns from the U.S. Secretary of Health about the removal of children from state-provided healthcare, asserting that they are following federal processes and urging families to complete necessary paperwork.

References:

[1] Here’s why Georgia officials say there’s a “severe” SNAP delay across the state. Link

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