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Hoosiers are watching carefully as the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration begins a bold experiment in privatization – bold because it affects some of the state’s most vulnerable citizens; an experiment because it is mostly untested and has created problems in other states.
Scrutiny from FSSA critics and from a Democratic-controlled Congress is welcome. The U.S. Food and Nutrition Services, which oversees the federal food stamp program, ordered changes in August to ensure that state employees, not contractors, make the final determination on eligibility.
Also welcome is the cautious approach FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob is taking in rolling out the first phase of the agency’s automated benefits eligibility program. It went online Monday for residents of 12 counties in north-central Indiana, including Wabash County – a week later than planned because of technical glitches. The region that includes Allen County isn’t expected to go online until March.
The state signed a 10-year, $1.16 billion contract with IBM Corp. and Affiliated Computer Services to set up the system. About 1,500 state caseworkers are now employees of ACS, which opened a call center and processing center in Marion. By late afternoon, the new center had received more than 2,000 phone calls and the Web site had more than 5,000 views.
The system should simplify some tasks. The Associated Press reported that “applying for food stamps or Medicaid was just a telephone call or mouse click away.” That brought a predictable response on one newspaper’s Web site forum suggesting the state was making it easier for “poor thugs, gang bangers, crack whores and welfare baby-makers” to apply for benefits. Others charged that anyone with Internet access shouldn’t be receiving state assistance.
Misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding public assistance are as prevalent as ever. For the record, the state no longer hands out welfare. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families long ago replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children. The emphasis now is on providing aid and services to help adults find work and become self-sufficient.
The new automated system, which is as likely to be accessed from a computer at a public library, non-profit agency or church as from an applicant’s home, only makes it easier to apply or check on benefits. To receive TANF, child care vouchers, food stamps or Medicaid, applicants need to report and produce verification of how much they spend on rent, house payments and utility costs. They must report amount of cash on hand or in a bank account, verify income from a job or training, child care costs and any unearned income, including Social Security, SSI, child support and unemployment benefits. They also must report medical information for everyone in the household. Any change in their economic status must be reported.
If an applicant qualifies, the benefits don’t flow immediately. Food stamp assistance can take as long as 30 days, and TANF or Medicaid can take up to 45 days. And while applicants can apply online, they still must print out and submit a signed application before the eligibility determination process begins.
In the end, the success of the automated system can’t be declared until the process has run completely through its course, and until the entire state rollout is complete. In the meantime, FSSA’s cautious approach and strict oversight – from inside and out – is warranted.
