USDA Commends Ga. DFCS for Customer Service Improvements

The United States Department of Agriculture says that the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services has made significant improvements over the past two years over the speed at which the agency processed applications for food assistance.

Recently, the USDA lifted a warning against Georgia DFCS about the matter.

In a recent letter, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service commended DFCS staff for their dedication to improving the State’s timeliness rate and customer service and said it is releasing Georgia from an “advance warning” initially issued in February 2014, with new requirements issued in May 2015.

An advance warning letter alerts a state agency that it is at risk of receiving a formal warning if it does not achieve compliance with statutory requirements relating to the timeliness of application processing; a formal warning can result in the suspension of federal funds.

In early 2014, the state was struggling with a backlog of applications for assistance from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP program, formerly referred to as food stamps, and other issues hindering access to benefits.

Then in May 2015, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service praised DFCS for eliminating the backlog but added that “concerns remain with Georgia’s long-term trends in overall application processing timeliness.”

Georgia DFCS Director Bobby Cagle credited the improvements to the work of the agency’s Office of Family Independence.