After backlogs, federal judge orders Alaska to speed processing time for food assistance applications

Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News on Jan 1, 2025

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A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the state must take steps to address chronic delays in processing Alaskans' applications for food assistance, after repeated application backlogs.

U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason issued a preliminary injunction ordering the state to provide to the court monthly status reports detailing its efforts to process Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program applications within 30 days as required by federal law.

The order came in a lawsuit originally filed nearly two years ago by an Alaska civil rights firm, the Northern Justice Project.

The delays overall have affected thousands of Alaskans seeking aid through SNAP. The federally funded program, commonly referred to as food stamps, provides food benefits to low-income households.

As of November, there were more than 1,200 initial SNAP applications that had not been processed within 30 days as required, and the average application processing time stood at more than 60 days, according to information provided to the court.

State data submitted to the court shows that after crisis-level delays in processing food assistance applications that began in 2022, the state made improvements in processing times but then began falling behind again after accommodations from the federal government lapsed.

In 2023, the backlog reached a peak of 15,000 applications, leading the state to appropriate more funds to food banks and take steps to speed up the application processing times, like boosting the number of staffers working on the backlog.

The processing time improved by June 2024, when 89% of initial applications were processed on time. But the most recent data provided to the court showed that processing time fell in recent months, with only 72% of initial applications filed in October processed within the required timeframe.

Federal officials, recognizing the state's backlog, earlier in 2024 waived a requirement for all applicants to be interviewed before receiving benefits in order to expedite the processing time. That waiver lapsed in October, leading the state to again fall behind in processing applications.

In its defense, the state has argued that it is already making "considerable efforts" to remedy its backlog, including by modernizing its technology. Division of Public Assistance Director Deb Etheridge told the court that a new online system, which will streamline applications, is expected to be fully running in July 2025 after more than $54 million was appropriated in 2023 to overhaul the Division of Public Assistance online system.

Additionally, the Legislature approved a "broad based categorical eligibility" reform that will expand eligibility to food assistance and simplify the application process. However, the change has yet to be approved by federal officials who oversee SNAP programs, according to court filings.

The Department of Health also attributed the backlog to "intractable staffing shortages." The department said in court filings that it hired a consultant to design a "new staffing pattern" to address those shortages.

Gleason said those steps were not enough.

"While these efforts are commendable, there is at present no indication that these efforts will successfully bring (the Department of Health) into full compliance with the processing deadlines," she wrote.

Under her order, the state will be required to provide monthly reports, beginning in February 2025, detailing the status of the application backlog and the department's efforts to process applications within the required 30 days.

Department of Health spokeswoman Shirley Sakaye said in response to questions about the court order that the department had already seen "incredible improvement" in application processing time since the height of the backlog in 2022.

Sakaye listed various steps the division has taken to improve staff efficiency, including providing staff members with larger computer monitors and higher internet speeds. She also pointed to the department's technological advancements. Until December 2023, SNAP applicants couldn't submit their applications online.

Sakaye did not say whether — or how — the department planned to comply with the reporting requirements imposed by the court. A spokesperson for the Department of Law did not immediately respond.

James Davis, an attorney with the Northern Justice Project, said the reporting requirement would add a layer of accountability to the state.

"Doing nothing for another three or four years while hundreds of families go hungry is just not an acceptable status quo," said Davis.

The order came days after an Anchorage Superior Court judge found that the state has been violating a separate requirement to process applications for cash assistance from low-income elderly or disabled Alaskans. Both programs are managed by the Division of Public Assistance.