Food Stamp Application Process – Texas

State makes progress on food stamp backlog, By Corrie MacLaggan, September 7, 2010, Austin American-Statesman: “With hundreds of new workers on board, Texas has dramatically improved its speed and accuracy processing food stamp applications, Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Tom Suehs plans to tell state lawmakers today. But he’ll also tell the joint gathering of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and the House-Senate panel overseeing the eligibility system that he needs more resources, including more workers. ‘Yes, we’ve turned it around,’ Suehs told the American-Statesman on Tuesday. But he added: ‘We still have a long way to go to maintain it there. This thing is still in a precarious situation.’ In August, Texas processed 93.5 percent of applications within the required 30 days, compared with 58.6 percent in September 2009, according to the commission. A year ago, the state routinely failed to process food stamp applications as quickly as required by the federal and state governments. Some families waited months for aid, and those who were eligible were at times denied benefits because of processing errors…”