SNAP

Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has launched a new pilot program allowing food banks to formally interview applicants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This initiative is designed to reduce the time that applicants must wait to receive benefits and to lighten the burden on the state's eligibility office.

Click here to read more about the delays in processing SNAP applications.

Since 2006, food banks have been able to provide application assistance to their clients who are applying for SNAP. Once an application was complete, the food banks would deliver it to the state. However, to comply with federal requirements, state workers then had to call the applicant to verify the information and to perform an interview.

HHSC was recently granted a federal waiver that eliminates this redundant step. Now when a food bank employee helps a client complete a SNAP application, there will be no need for a formal interview from HHSC.

The pilot program will provide extra training to food bank workers to ensure that the application process is done correctly. It will go into effect on March 1st, 2010 in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.

In 2009, Health and Human Services received a federal reprimand for delayed services, and two class-action lawsuits have been filed on behalf of Texans who were unable to receive benefits in a timely manner. HHSC hopes that this pilot program will help bring Texas back within the federal guidelines that call for 95% of applications to be processed within 30 days.