miniddy的部落格

Source: Star-News, Wilmington, N.迷你倉新蒲崗C.Sept. 09--There's been an uptick in people seeking food at area pantries because of statewide delays in food stamp benefit delivery, say those who feed the hungry locally.The delays have been caused by glitches in the Department of Health and Human Services' implementation of a new statewide computer system, called NC FAST. It's meant to streamline delivery of services but has taken off in fits and starts."In the interim, people have been turning to food panties and soup kitchens a lot quicker than they would have otherwise," said Jeff Rose, Wilmington branch director of The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, which collects food and distributes it to a network of provider agencies.Korey Giordano, the Salvation Army's food shelter director in Wilmington, reported the agency's "shelves are literally bare."Some of the food shortage can be attributed to a decrease in giving during the summer months, she said. But Giordano has also heard from people coming in who say they need food because they didn't get their benefits from the state. She urged people to give."A lot of people are coming in saying their food stamps haven't gone through and they were planning on them going through," she said.Still, Wayne Black, director of DHHS' division of social services, said the new system is a "long time coming" and should improve customer service.The goal since the late 1970s, he said, has been to create an electronic case management system that allows a one-stop shop of sorts for benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid. The state has tried various iterations over the years and failed. NC FAST is expected to be the answer to years of complex paper filings and duplication of efforts by case managers for clients. A person applying for multiple benefits under the old system would have to see multiple case workers, he said."This has been our dream and our vision since the late '70s," he said. "We're going to be much more efficient, and clients will be much better se迷你倉出租ved, and it will save money."Where certain counties are experiencing difficulties with implementation, the state is offering enhanced technical support and additional training, Black said.Reta Shiver, director of Social Services for Pender County, said locally it's "beyond our control right now.""The technology is new and there are glitches in the technology which causes delays in our processing of client applications or re-certifications, and those delays caused a delay in the clients receiving their benefits, and that's a problem for everybody," she said. "We don't want families to be hungry, and when they're eligible for benefits they should receive them timely."Shiver said she's taken some calls from clients who should have received their July benefits "and this is the first of September." The county is looking at a month to six-week delays in some cases, she said.About 4,600 cases, many of them families, rely on the food benefits in the county, she said.Christine McNamee, assistant director in charge of economic services for New Hanover County Department of Social Services, said the issues are slowly but surely working themselves out."We are still working on some August benefits and are working diligently on September benefits," she said. The agency planned to work this past weekend, "trying to get as caught up as possible."She said a handful of cases are parked at the "help desk" where the staff is working on those individual cases, some of which are more than 30 days old."We are slowly beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel," she said.Ricky Diaz, the DHHS' director of communications, said smooth implementation of the new system is a top priority for the agency."We are working around the clock to make sure we're processing applications quickly and accurately," he said.Metro desk: 343-2389On Twitter: @StarNewsMollyCopyright: ___ (c)2013 the Star-News (Wilmington, N.C.) Visit the Star-News (Wilmington, N.C.) at .starnewsonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉