Food Stamps: Could Proposal for Outside Contractors Be Key To Improving SNAP Backlogs Across the US?
Written by
Josephine Nesbit
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 Years
Helping You Live Richer
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
Thanks to inflation, an economic downturn and natural disasters, more families are struggling to afford healthy groceries. To help states with the recent influx of SNAP applications, Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02) and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) introduced the SNAP Staffing Flexibility Act to give states the option to hire outside contractors to alleviate the workload of their employees during these periods.
Once the backlog has been cleared, the contracts will end.
“When people apply for SNAP benefits, it is because they are already struggling,” said Bacon in an August press release. “Ensuring that their applications are processed in a timely manner is important to getting people the assistance they need. In economically challenging times, giving the states, who are closer to the problem, more autonomy will result in better outcomes for applicants.”
Currently, states cannot hire outside contractors for additional staffing support. Bacon believes giving states this extra help will benefit SNAP applicants; however, there have been concerns over how the legislation could impact full-time workers, reported KMAland.
According to Bacon, states needing long-term labor should hire employees, but states that need two-to-three months of support should hire temporary contract workers.
One state still dealing with a long backlog of applicants is Georgia. Tens of thousands of people are not receiving SNAP benefits on time, reported 11Alive, and this issue has been impacting families on and off for a year. According to 11Alive, the Georgia Department of Human Services is having difficulty processing cases in time within federal guidelines.
Alaska recently cleared an inventory of 14,000 SNAP applications and recertifications, but the Public Assistance Director Deb Etheridge said it’s created another problem, Alaska’s News Source reported. Because the federal government wanted the state to focus on clearing the original backlog, now there are 4,000 new applications and over 2,000 recertifications waiting to be processed.
States have hired more workers to help, but the new bill should give states some extra flexibility.
More From GOBankingRates
