ATLANTA — With some families reporting difficulties with receiving their SNAP benefits ahead of Thanksgiving and Georgia's Department of Human Services working through a renewals backlog, the agency said Wednesday it had donated $2.8 million to the Atlanta Community Food Bank to "provide meals to Georgia families ahead of the holidays."
11Alive reported this week, citing internal DHS emails, that the backlog may not be fixed as late as the end of January. The agency said Wednesday that employees are "working tirelessly to resolve" the backlog, including taking on overtime and extra duties to process cases.
In the meantime, DHS is directing people to the Atlanta Community Food Bank and other food banks for assistance. They also point to the Atlanta Community Food Bank's "Find Help Map" here.
"DHS is grateful to all of Georgia’s food banks for the important work they do, and encourages all who are able to support them or local charities in their communities by contributing food or a donation this time of year," the agency said in a statement.
11Alive also has a running list of resources for families experiencing SNAP disruptions. Viewers who want to speak with a reporter about the delays can email the newsroom.
The SNAP benefits backlog has impacted Georgia families on and off for a year now as the Georgia Department of Human Services struggles to process cases within federal guidelines. According to data provided by DHS last week, Georgia has a total of 105,801 pending renewals to date, 35,674 of which are overdue, with 31,080 pending state action. This number of recertifications, a process required for beneficiaries, is separate from any new applications the department must also process.