Texas -Health and Human Services - http://www.statesman.com/
Agency leader trumpets progress but says more workers, resources are needed to keep it going
With hundreds of news workers on board,texas has dramatically improved its speed and accuracy processing food stamp applications, Health and Human Services Executives Commisioner tom Sueh plans to tell lawmakers today.
But he'll also tell the joint gatheing of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and the House- Senate panel overseeing the eligibility system that he needs more resources, including more workers.
They have along way to go to add more resources. In August, Texas processed 93.5 percent of applications within the required 30 days, compared with 56.6 percent in September 2009,accordingto the commission.
A year ago the state failed to processed food stamp applications as quickly as required by the federal and governments. Some families waited for months for aid, and thoes were eligible were at timmes denied benefits because of processing errors.
In the past year, the commission has aded 864 workers to determine eligilibity and enroll Texans for food stamps Medicaid, bringingto 8,380 the number of staffers. The commission has also revamped worker training and stationed workers in offices lobbies to handle certain questions so that not everyone has to wait in line.
Their has been a surge in food stamp applications in January Suehs is asking lawmakers for 128.7 million to hire 1,547 workers over two years and 102.5 million to increase salaries for eligibility workers.The commission is payingsome overtime rather than asking lawmakers for even more workers.
Also some are saying that workers that they need to spend more time with their families and withworking overtime it takes all their tme from their families Suehs said that "So I've kind of accepted some overtime,but I want to minimize the overtime" and ensure its voluntary whenever possible.
Janey Thorton, U.S. deputy undersecretary of agriculture wo was visiting and Austin elementary school Tuesday said that the Obama administration is pleased with Texas' progress.
"That time lapse has really decreased," Thornton said. Texas officials ares "still working in a number of areas ,but we can tell its going in the right direction now,so that's great."
Processing errors has been a problem. In June, the U.S.Department of Argiculture fined Texas $3.96 million for an error rate that exceeded the natonal average. The state is appealing; Texas officials says that they were dealing with a spike in applications related to hurricane Ike.
Texas ' current problems with the eligibility system date back to 2005,when state workers left in drove sin advances of a privatization effots that was later scaled back.
I think that this article is worth reading so that the readers know whats going on with the food stamp process and why so many people had to wait to get benefits and the errors that they had in the process in processing the applications and they are improving the proccess to making the process run faster and smoother. Also its for the people to know whats going on with Human Services and the food Stamp program anyone that recieves it probably can see what the artiticle is talking about they can relate to it they may had to wait on their benefits to kick in or their where problems with the processing or processing errors.So they are trying to speed up the process by hiring more workers and for workers doing overtime.
