Alaska invested millions to fix food stamp backlogs. Some users still can’t get through.

A motion posted connected nan doorway of nan Division of Public Assistance agency successful Bethel, Alaska, connected Oct. 11, 2023. The agency offers afloat services. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

At nan tallness of nan nutrient stamp backlog past November, pro bono attorneys and different volunteers astatine Alaska Legal Services sewage much than 600 requests successful 1 period from Alaskans seeking a adjacent proceeding to get their overdue nutrient benefits.

So nan 97 requests that came successful this July didn’t consciousness for illustration thing nan group couldn’t handle, said Leigh Dickey, nan nonprofit’s defense director.

But nan number is still alarming, she said, and it’s double past month’s requests.

Dickey said nan state’s Division of Public Assistance is still dogged by nan aforesaid problem: paperwork processing delays.

“Which is thing nan DPA, I think, is saying that they person fixed,” she said. “But we are still seeing clients coming successful who person delays astatine recertification.”

Lawmakers and nan politician person funneled much than $70 cardinal into tech solutions and caller staff, but galore Alaskans opportunity they still can’t get their paperwork processed. The Division of Public Assistance, which processes nan paperwork, said it now completes 89% of applications connected time. That is simply a important betterment complete January done April of past year, when only astir 5% of nutrient stamp recertifications were connected time.

Dickey said nan section besides lags connected responding erstwhile clients study changes successful their family that impact benefits, for illustration losing a job, and that it will inquire for paperwork but neglect to record it, which tin consequence successful group losing benefits. And she said erstwhile DPA asks for paperwork to verify employment, location are often mix-ups: “The clients will stitchery that accusation and will move it successful by a definite day, but DPA will adjacent their lawsuit anyway.”

“It’s for illustration 1 manus doesn’t cognize what nan different manus is doing,” she said.

Tech updates

The Division of Public Assistance has taken galore steps to get Alaskans benefits faster. It is moving to reopen offices, summation training for nan unit that processes applications and it launched an online exertion for nationalist assistance benefits successful precocious July.

The extremity of nan online portal is to alteration nan chance of paperwork mix-ups and summation nan percent of applications that are processed connected time, officials say. The online exertion intends group tin use for nutrient stamps, renew their applications aliases study immoderate changes — for illustration a mislaid occupation aliases a caller babe — from home.

It’s called Alaska Connect and it’s 1 of nan first steps successful nan section moving wholly to a cloud-based system, said section Director Deb Etheridge.

“The superior extremity is to supply amended customer work to Alaskans and make it easier to entree benefits and use for benefits,” she said.

But Etheridge said it besides helps trim nan administrative load connected eligibility technicians, which should trim delays.

“It really supports america pinch immoderate administrative simplification. So if individuals person entree to upload their documents and capable retired their forms and capable them retired completely, past that takes distant nan clip that we person to walk getting further information,” she said.

Alaska Connect doesn’t let group to cheque nan position of their applications, but that portion is coming soon, Etheridge said.

But that inability to cheque applications is simply a awesome symptom constituent for immoderate of nan 97 group that revenge complaints pinch Alaska Legal Services past month. Several of nan state’s nationalist assistance offices are still closed aft pandemic shutdowns, aliases only let “general inquiries,” which intends group who are concerned astir their benefits cannot get position updates aliases thief problem solving erstwhile slowdowns occur.

Officials opportunity only nan Sitka agency is wholly closed. The Anchorage, Ketchikan and Nome offices are unfastened only for wide inquiries, which intends dropping disconnected paperwork aliases basal questions, but nary entree to eligibility workers who tin process applications aliases problem lick mislaid paperwork.

Etheridge said they are moving towards afloat reopened offices and making progress. The Fairbanks agency was nan astir caller to reopen, successful July, and nan Ketchikan agency should reopen successful August.