SNAP Benefits Deprived for Hundreds of Missouri Families, Lawsuit Alleges

SNAP benefits Missouri Missouri Families Department of Social Services DSS SNAP benefits renewal Legal Services of Eastern Missouri

By Lili Scott , Parent Herald Feb 28, 05:06 am

Photo: (Photo : John Moore/Getty Images)

Hundreds of Missouri families have missed out on their monthly SNAP benefits that would have provided food on their table due to a dysfunctional system, which has prompted a lawsuit against the state's Department of Social Services (DSS).

Mary Holmes, 55, is one of the complainants in the lawsuit, who stated that she was unable to renew her SNAP benefits because her calls to the DSS were unanswered. Speaking with KMOV4, Holmes said that she was the 469th caller waiting to be answered at one point because the agency's system was overwhelmed.

"I waited for approximately an hour and a half, and then I hung up because I was almost out of pre-paid phone minutes," Holmes said, adding that she does not have the internet to complete her SNAP forms online.

The Missouri woman's primary source of income is her disability checks, as she is also dealing with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer. As a vulnerable individual, she does not conveniently have a car to drive down to the DSS. Thus, she relies on the call center to facilitate her SNAP benefits renewal.

DSS Understaffed and Underfunded

Katherine Holley, who works with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, is helping Missouri families deprived of their food benefits from the state government. She said that hundreds of eligible families could not renew because of the broken system that has gotten worse over time.

The lawyer said that the DSS decided to install a specific hotline for the SNAP benefits before the pandemic to lessen the backlogs of applications and renewal. However, instead of helping families, the new system has not been working well. Reports cited that the DSS has been understaffed and underfunded.

Another lawyer helping the families, Andrew Scavotto, said that it was inexcusable for DSS to deny access, especially when these families are already struggling to make ends meet and provide food on the table. Holley said her clients are in the low-income bracket who are already beaten down by a failed system.

The state has not yet responded to the lawsuit, and no one from the DSS has publicly commented on the issues. However, Holley said that she's hoping this lawsuit will force state officials to fix the problem as soon as possible.

How Broken is Missouri's SNAP Benefits Program?

Those under SNAP benefits in Missouri have to undergo an interview for renewal or recertification, and uncompleted interviews are automatically rejected. In December 2021, more than 35 percent of SNAP benefits renewal were turned down as it was incomplete. In September of the same year, about 50 percent were rejected.

Unfortunately, interviews are not scheduled by appointment. Instead, the calls come at random, and if the beneficiaries miss these calls, they have to try and call back the call center.

Meanwhile, there are also long lines at the DSS for in-person interviews because the hours for these resource centers are extremely limited, especially during the lockdowns. In some cases, some of the DSS SNAP benefits centers are open for three days a week only.