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SNAP claimants in Tennessee are facing continued delays to their applications, with some being forced to use food banks as they struggle to feed their families.
The issues have arisen due to a new system being implemented in the state. Newsweek previously reported that throughout the summer, workers at the state's Department of Human Services (DHS) transitioned to a new system for processing applications in 2023. But it hasn't been a smooth one, with residents saying they have now been waiting months to get their benefits approved.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly referred to as food stamps, helps claimants pay for groceries. All SNAP recipients are required to take part in an interview to determine if they are eligible for the benefit and have a 30-day response time from application to decision as mandated by the federal government, which provides the funding.
But this has doubled to 60 days, according to DHS commissioner Clarence Clark. According to a January report by the Tennessee Lookout, the agency hopes to bring the wait time for processing SNAP applications down to under 60 days by mid-February. By the middle of March, it is hoped that this will be reduced to the standard 30 days.
"This program puts food on Tennesseans' table," Clarence Clark, leader of the DHS, told lawmakers in January. "We have almost a desperate sense of urgency to be able to do this right."
Training staff while still processing applications has slowed the process of applying significantly, so much so that some Tennesseans are struggling to put food on the table. Reports from over the past month have said 35,000 Tennessee residents are facing a delay.
In a statement issued to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the DHS said there are "approximately 20,000 applications that were pending older than 30 days. The department confirmed they had reached out to 15,693 applicants as of February 2.
"In this all-hands-on deck approach, we have made significant progress and we will continue to make improvements to ensure that our customers receive their benefits as timely as possible," the spokesperson said.
But despite Clark's urgency to fix the backlog, the problem persists. One mother from Cleveland told Fox 17 Nashville that she has spent weeks trying to apply for SNAP to no avail.
Jamie Simmons said she spent two hours every day for three weeks trying to iron out issues with the DHS. "When we had the food stamp money, it was so much easier to feed the kids. We could provide everything that they needed," she said.
Another woman from Bledsoe County told Local 3 News that she has been struggling to get additional SNAP after she unexpectedly had to take in extra family members. Catherine Freeman told the local news outlet that she "went about the normal route, went to our local office and then when I didn't hear anything I started calling the 1-800 number. I started to have really long waits like two-and-a-half, three-hour times, and I only have so much time in a day to wait in line."
Another report from December by News Channel 9 also indicated some families have been forced to turn to local food banks.
But on that note, Freeman also said that provisions provided by food banks are not adequate for families. "The nutrition that is coming in the boxes is a lot of sugar and are not really sustainable for families. Does it help, yes, but when you give a basket that is over 50 percent desert that is not sustainable for our family to do."
The DHS has been criticized by advocacy groups for failing vulnerable people. "The Tennessee families that TJC works with are being harmed by the SNAP backlog. They apply to the SNAP program because they are struggling with hunger and usually also struggle to pay rent, afford health care and access other basic needs," Signe Anderson, Senior Director of Nutrition Advocacy for the Tennessee Justice Center told Fox 17 Nashville.
"This is a program the state must get right. TJC is glad to see DHS's efforts to contact 35,000 families who have already been waiting too long to be approved for SNAP. And hope that Tennesseans with low-incomes will finally see some relief."
Update 2/3/24, 4:31 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the Department of Human Services.
Are you a SNAP claimant who lives in Tennessee? Have you been affected by the hold ups in system? Email a.higham@newsweek.com
About the writer
Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on Social Security, other government benefits ... Read more