TESTIMONY
Tais Grant, Eligibility Specialist at SNAP, on Persistent Backlogs and the Inefficiencies of the Angie Case Processing System
3:30:25
·
3 min
Tais Grant, an Eligibility Specialist at SNAP with 11 years of experience, raises concerns about the ongoing backlogs and the malfunctioning Angie system during her testimony.
- Grant highlights the SNAP program's backlog issue, which has over 18,000 cases, considerably higher than the city's reported figure of 411.
- She criticizes the Angie case processing system, intended to decrease workload but actually increases it and adds to the backlog.
- Grant points out that the Angie system's flaws include unintended errors and a decrease in case processing efficiency, resulting in slow benefit delivery to clients.
- Despite the city claiming to have hired new staff, Grant questions the high demand for overtime and the failure to address system glitches.
Tais Grant
3:30:25
Good afternoon.
3:30:27
Chair Ayala and members of the committee.
3:30:30
My I am grateful for the opportunity to testify today.
3:30:34
My name is Tais Grant.
3:30:35
And I am a snap eligibility specialist and a member of Asme Local 1549, district council 37.
3:30:43
I have worked in Snap for 11 years, and I testified before this committee in September of 2023 about the daily challenges I confront in my work.
3:30:54
I can report to you that nothing in my work has changed since we last spoke.
3:30:59
Because there are there is still a huge snap backlog.
3:31:06
Over 18,000 cases as of last Thursday.
3:31:09
This far exceeds the backlog of 411 cases reported by the city last week.
3:31:16
The program Angie's case process system is still a significant barrier in my work.
3:31:23
And it contributes to the persistent backlog in SNAP.
3:31:28
As I stated in September, this flawed case system was intended to decrease the workload.
3:31:34
However, I have found that it instead increases my workload and contributes to the backlog of snap cases.
3:31:42
So, basically, Angie was designed so that supervisors can from any snap center can approve your case.
3:31:51
However, this is ineffective because supervisors can sign off a case which causes errors.
3:31:59
And you don't know who's signing off of your cases and you don't get that case back.
3:32:04
Another worker gets the case and This delays timely benefit delivery for our clients who meet lifesaving food assistance.
3:32:15
Basically just working in ANGI.
3:32:19
It has significantly excuse me.
3:32:21
Significant decrease.
3:32:23
The processing of cases myself and coworkers have reported that we used to process up to same cases per day, but now due to the frequently glitches and Angie, we can only process 7 cases.
3:32:43
This all results to the this system glitches and Angie, and we put in IT tickets but there is still no resolution.
3:32:56
I do have a lot more, but due to time, I just wanna mention that at my site, we are not mandatory sorry.
3:33:04
We're not mandated overtime.
3:33:06
However, we do have voluntary overtime, which has been extended from the hours to 10 PM.
3:33:15
On weekdays until 9 PM on Saturdays.
3:33:18
And I just wanna conclude that if there has been The city has stated that they hire new staff.
3:33:26
If they have hired new staff, then why is overtime still in high demand?
3:33:32
And we don't we're not benefiting from the overtime with the Angie system.
3:33:36
Thank you.
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Gladys Little, Eligibility Specialist at SNAP, on Systematic Challenges Impacting Client Assistance
Next Chapter →
Allison Robinson, Case Manager at Center for Urban Community Services, on Advocating for Increased Resources for Human Resources Administration (HRA) and Department of Social Services (DSS)
