SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. —
Needed help is on the way for Mid-South residents struggling to collect food stamps they are eligible for.
After our ABC24 featuring veteran mother of four Falicia DeMello went viral, representatives from the Tennessee Department of Human Services reached out to her to set the issue straight.
“When I answered and she said she was a supervisor with DHS, I just immediately got happy,” DeMello said.
Long lines, limited staff and new systems have all contributed to significant struggles for people like DeMello and others who rely on food stamps in the Mid-south. State Sen. Raumesh Akbari said the cause of the holdup is a software change from last year that recently has gotten resolved.
This software issue has been fixed,” she said. “It only really became an issue where you had these glitches when it went statewide, and they were still having to work in two different systems. But now they've officially switched to one software. It's a done deal, so shouldn't have those issues.”
Akbari said if you, or anyone you know, are experiencing similar issues, reach out to your representative. They have the ability to get the issue to the right people directly.
“Definitely reach out to your state elected official. We work hand in hand with the Department of Human Services. Hopefully these kinks in the chain have been worked out. But obviously if you're having issues, just give us a call,” Akbari said.
“When you put it on ABC24, somebody going to listen. Because they called me right away. I’m super glad, I’m super grateful, I’m super thankful,” added DeMello.
Tennessee DHS provided the following statement:
“As we transition from the old system to the new one, there has been a temporary increase in our processing times that we are actively working to mitigate... our staff is working diligently to process cases to ensure that our valued customers receive needed benefits within a timely manner.”