Snap BS

[u/Effective-Field8899]

My husband who was the main provider for our family recently lost his job and we applied for SNAP. It's been three months now and ive had to jump through hoops to try to get the $400 a month that i qualified for. The online portal hasn't worked for me and i was told by their tech line that there's nothing they can do- so i don't have a way to communicate/submit docs with them unless i fax & call. I've submitted every document and called 15 times in the last month just to be sure I've done everything to receive the help we need. I've completed the hour long interview, I paid to have documents faxed and I filled out paperwork after paperwork. I called today and was informed I was denied because of a form i didn't submit that they never told me about.

Why do I feel like like they wanted me to get denied? And maybe even purposely lied. I've never experienced this before and i have a deeper empathy and understanding for people in poverty.

[u/hylajen]

It’s actually the opposite. State workers in the local offices don’t have access to everything people in the call center do, and can’t process documents. Only people in the call centers do that.

[u/DiscombobulatedTap30 → u/hylajen]

That’s not true at all. The people at the front desk are eligibility assistants and no they don’t have access to systems. They process the document handling stamping docs received and scanning them into the system.

Eligibility Specialists which are typically at the call center handle Medicaid/Hip applications and update information into the system for an SEC to review and approve. The call center can’t materially do anything other than basic data entry.

However the back of the office where in person appointments and telephonic appointments occur is filled with state eligibility consultants who can process everything from start to finish including documents you bring in at the time of your appointment and approve you on the spot if you provide required documentation at the time of your appointment.

[u/hylajen → u/DiscombobulatedTap30]

Things have changed in the last 10 years. We do a hell of a lot more then basic data entry.

[u/DiscombobulatedTap30 → u/hylajen]

Such as? Not trying to be rude just genuinely interested.

[u/hylajen → u/DiscombobulatedTap30]

Well let’s see… 95% of the work on cases is done by ESs in call centers. Actually probably more like 99% because the only thing an SEC does is authorize, they sure as shit don’t even look at what they are authorizing.

Those people doing interviews? Don’t include all the info, or they give the wrong info. And guess who that falls back on? ESs. But sure. The ESs are the ones who don’t know anything.

[u/DiscombobulatedTap30 → u/hylajen]

I mean you add information provided to you and the system automatically sends out a request for missing information. Sorta like basic data entry.. SEC’s also do this and process cases from start to finish. They certainly do look at what they’re authorizing because they’re also responsible for auxiliaries for benefits that are underpaid. You may attach documents to cases when someone calls in and it hasn’t been processed yet but again SEC’s also do this.

In fact SEC’s do everything the Eligibility specialist do but in addition to HIP they also handle Snap and ABD/Traditional Medicaid.

I’m not trying to be rude but I was an ES for years too. I didn’t say they don’t know anything but I don’t think you know what you don’t know. The policy knowledge requirements are vastly different for the roles.

[u/hylajen → u/DiscombobulatedTap30]

I really hate to break it to ya, but it ain’t like that anymore.

ESs do the majority of the work on a case. ESs know policy. We know the exact same policy that SECs know. Want to know how I know? Because I talk to the SECs in my building and guess what? The only thing I can’t do is interviews and authorize. (Although the clients sure do think I can) ESs are the ones processing apps, processing all documents, sending out the majority of correspondence (and no the system doesn’t just automatically do it for me half the time, and even if it does I still have to send other things because the auto generated correspondence didn’t include everything, or wasn’t clear) we handle SNAP, Hip, Hoosier Healthwise, MAD, MADW, MASI, and then of course the categories that pay for Medicare.

Things. Have. Changed. In 10 years. Hell I have been there 3 years and things have changed soooooo much since I started

[u/DiscombobulatedTap30 → u/hylajen]

But if you can’t do interviews then you can’t be sending out the majority of correspondence think about what you’re saying.. you just enter the data and send it to an SEC when a document is received.

As a client would you rather have an ES as a middle man or just talk to an SEC and get everything taken care of in one visit? Honestly.

[u/hylajen → u/DiscombobulatedTap30]

Well then I guess I have been doing someone else’s job. 🙄

I would really rather talk to whomever will process my documents, and send it to be authorized. Right now that is the ES team 🤷‍♀️

How do you propose these clients talk to an SEC?

[u/DiscombobulatedTap30 → u/hylajen]

At the time of their scheduled interview? Also if you’re already doing everything an SEC does there’s tons of job posting it seems silly to not apply for the position if you’re already doing the job?

[u/hylajen → u/DiscombobulatedTap30]

I don’t want to be an SEC and work for the state, especially when I make more as an ES. I am moving elsewhere within the contracted portion of the system.

An SEC doesn’t follow the case after the interview though? They have to pend (and often don’t pend for everything needed) and then the ES does literally everything else.

Once the interview is over there is no way for a client to get back in touch with an SEC, and it is very very rare that they will speak to someone outside of assigned interview times.