Procedures include technical assistance and improvement benchmarks.Įddie Lopez, a volunteer at the Kelly Center for Hunger Relief, waits with an armful of food as a vehicle approaches. 1, USDA Food and Service Nutrition is implementing updated escalation procedures for state agencies that fall below the acceptable performance. SeptemDelays in SNAP applications leave Texas families in limboīy Priscilla Totiyapungprasert, El Paso Matters September 27, 2023 (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)ĭelays in SNAP applications leave Texas families in limboīy Priscilla Totiyapungprasert, El Paso Matters Eddie Lopez, a volunteer at the Kelly Center for Hunger Relief, waits with an armful of food as a vehicle approaches. ![]() Procedures include technical assistance and improvement benchmarks. “These families require immediate assistance, yet they are left in limbo for months as parents struggle to figure out how they will feed their children and are forced to make difficult tradeoffs between paying rent, utility bills, gas, and more,” reads the letter. The USDA considers a timeliness rate of 95% or higher to be an acceptable performance. In September, Texas processed 78% of SNAP applications and 65% of recertifications in a timely manner, according to data published by Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Texas Health and Human Services officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the delays, with spokesman José Andrés Araiza saying the agency needed more time to respond. Federal law requires states to process SNAP applications and recertifications and issue benefits to those eligible within 30 days. Whistleblowers working for the state told the delegation that delays are likely to exceed 200 days by the end of the year, according to the letter. ![]() The USDA runs SNAP at the federal level, while the Texas Health and Human Services Commission administers the program at the state level. Veronica Escobar of El Paso, urged the USDA to “protect the health and livelihood of our most vulnerable and marginalized neighbors,” states the letter obtained by El Paso Matters. The program helps low-income families purchase food and non-alcoholic beverages at grocery stores, convenience stores and farmers markets.Ī delegation of 13 Democratic members of Congress, including U.S. More than 142,000 people in El Paso County are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP. Texas families are waiting more than 100 days to get their SNAP applications reviewed – leaving them months without assistance to feed their families, Texas congressional leaders said in a recent letter to the U.S.
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