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INDIANAPOLIS – The head of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration said Thursday that his agency is abandoning a proposal to move to a 30-day food stamp application process.
The announcement came at a public hearing on the new administrative rule.
“We were encouraged by the federal government to explore this change,” said Mitch Roob, secretary of FSSA. “After review, we found this change will not positively impact the speed, quality and quantity of benefits.”
Currently the state has a 60-day process in which applicants submit information and receive an approval or denial.
But Roob said the most recent statistics, running from November 2007 through April 2008, show the state processed food stamp applications in 30 days about 91 percent of the time even without the change.
It is unclear what action the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service might take if the state sticks with a 60-day rule.
“They expect 90 percent in 30 days, and that’s the bar we have to get over,” Roob said. “If not, they will continue to ding us. We are getting over that bar now with our rule.”
Some advocates had been concerned that moving to a strict 30-day rule would mean fewer Hoosiers would get benefits.
The entire issue has gained scrutiny because the state awarded a team of vendors led by IBM Corp. and Affiliated Computer Services Inc. a $1.16 billion, 10-year contract to process applications for Medicaid, food stamps and other benefits.
Most interaction between applicants and the state now occurs over the Internet or through phone call centers.
That welfare modernization rollout has already reached almost 60 Indiana counties. Advocates for the poor and needy have filed at least two lawsuits to block the changes. Complaints include that it takes longer to get approved and that some Hoosiers have been kicked off or denied food stamps without adequate explanation.
But Roob said Thursday that the number of households receiving food stamps statewide in August increased 1.61 percent from July. The increase was 1.43 percent in counties using the old eligibility system and 1.88 percent in counties that have been modernized.
“That’s helpful,” he said. “We’re certainly not declaring victory.”
nkelly@jg.net
