Mallory Rusch, Executive Director, Empower Missouri It is imperative that DSS ensures that all Missouri families have access to the nutrition they need.” It is inexcusable that individuals who are struggling to make ends meet face additional barriers enrolling in SNAP because of Missouri’s Department of Social Services. “Hundreds of thousands of Missourians rely on SNAP to feed their families every month. We are determined to join our partners in helping make this access real.” “Access to food is important to all Missourians-and vital to the hundreds of thousands who rely on SNAP benefits. Katherine Holley, Staff Attorney, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri For our clients and all Missourians who need SNAP benefits to put food on the table, we need a system that works.” “Our clients and their children are not getting the food they desperately need, solely because they cannot reach anyone at our state agency. Katharine Deabler-Meadows, Staff Attorney, National Center for Law and Economic Justice The hunger crisis brought on by COVID is ongoing.” “SNAP is essential-everyone needs to eat. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires DSS to accommodate the disabilities of individuals who need one to access SNAP, but there is no way to request such accommodation without navigating the overloaded call center. The situation is even worse for people with disabilities.DSS in-person office operations are insufficient, including limited hours, limited operations, and no COVID-19 safety protocols, even during the delta and omicron waves.Applicants must answer a series of automated questions-questions they have already asked and answered in their applications-before they can get in line to speak to DSS staff, thus further burdening applicants.In September, October, and December of 2021, more than 50% of rejected applications were denied because applicants could not complete an interview.Many SNAP applicants wait for hours only to be disconnected before having a chance to interview. Call queues contain hundreds of people.All SNAP applicants must complete an interview to receive their benefits-using the overloaded call center.All SNAP applicants are routed to a central call center, but the call center is drastically understaffed.I hardly have any food to eat,” stated Ms. I received a notice that my SNAP application was denied in February. I waited for approximately an hour and a half, and then I hung up because I was almost out of pre-paid phone minutes. I was not able to reach anyone. I tried to call DSS one last time on February 10, 2022. I answered all of the required questions again and was placed in line. The automated system said that there were 468 people ahead of me. At the beginning of January, I tried to call DSS three times for help. I rely on SNAP to purchase food. I do not have a car or other means of reliable transportation, and I have to pay for rides when I need to leave home. I am a Black woman. I have throat cancer and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD). My COPD symptoms make it hard for me to leave home. As a result, thousands of eligible households are unlawfully deprived of their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits each month. If you are an individual or family seeking assistance, please contact Legal Services of Eastern Missouri at the Food Stamp Hotline at 31 or send an many years, families applying for SNAP benefits have faced challenges accessing DSS however, these challenges escalated with the onset of the pandemic. MISSOURI - The National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ), Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, and Stinson LLP filed a lawsuit today on behalf of Empower Missouri and two low-income Missourians against the state’s Department of Social Services (DSS) and Acting Director Robert Knodell. FebruLawsuit Exposes Missouri’s Failure to Provide SNAP Benefits, Denying Food Aid to Thousands
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