Application Process for Assistance Programs – Nebraska

State switching to online, call centers for welfare applications, By Nancy Hicks, July 2, 2010, Lincoln Journal Star: “Some Nebraskans will be unable to get the help they need under the state’s plan to use call centers and online applications rather than caseworkers and face-to-face interviews for welfare-related applications, according to testimony at a Friday public hearing. ‘The new system, which discourages or eliminates the possibility of meeting face to face with a live human caseworker, is immoral and shows indifference toward the needs of people with disabilities, indeed people with any needs,’ said Kathy Hoell, executive director of the Nebraska Statewide Independent Living Council. The state plans to set up four call centers to handle most applications for services like food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, energy assistance and child care subsidies. Department of Health and Human Service leaders are also promoting online applications as a way to streamline the process…”