State SNAP agencies are overloaded — what *actually* can be done?

You might have gathered by now, dear reader, that I spend a fair bit of time on the “food stamps” sub-reddit, /r/foodstamps. (For what it’s worth, just helping people is a recharging experience relative to abstract work intervening in complex systems. I have knowledge on deductions for self-employed earned income that is otherwise completely useless. If you do too, I recommend answering some questions!) Thanks for reading Dave Guarino's Occasional Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. There was a recent thread there complaining about one state agency “screw[ing] up” a user’s case. This kind of post, venting, is not uncommon. But what I found more interesting was the replies from front-line eligibility workers (many of whom are on there, lending their program expertise in their free time in a personal capacity, bless them.) One caseworker on the emotional toll: There is also a lot of burnout in Human Services for the employees - local government employ

You might have gathered by now, dear reader, that I spend a fair bit of time on the “food stamps” sub-reddit, /r/foodstamps. (For what it’s worth, just helping people is a recharging experience relative to abstract work intervening in complex systems. I have knowledge on deductions for self-employed earned income that is otherwise completely useless. If you do too, I recommend answering some questions!) There was a recent thread there complaining about one state agency “screw[ing] up” a user’s case. This kind of post, venting, is not uncommon. But what I found more interesting was the…

related reading

• American Public Human Services Administration – Payment Error Ratesaphsa.org
• SNAP State Options Report, 16th Editionfns-prod.azureedge.us
• eCFR :: 7 CFR Chapter II Subchapter C -- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance and Food Distribution Programecfr.gov
• Abolitionist Cybernetics: Groceries from South Bay Mutual Aidnews.techworkerscoalition.org
• eCFR :: 7 CFR 273.12 -- Reporting requirements.ecfr.gov
• After Automation | Everyevery.to
• eCFR :: 7 CFR 273.10 -- Determining household eligibility and benefit levels.ecfr.gov
• How to Streamline Verification of Eligibility for Medicaid and SNAP | Center on Budget and Policy Prioritiescbpp.org
• One Year in DCgreentape.pub
• Farming In the Shadow of the Shadow State – The New Inquirythenewinquiry.com
• The procedure fetish - Niskanen Centerniskanencenter.org
• How We Automated Federal Retirementsndstudio.gov