RICHMOND, Va. -- The Richmond Department of Social Services said it has made improvements to staffing levels and how quickly it's processing applications for benefits, but still falling short of state and federal expectations, as a state partnership is coming to an end.
In February, CBS 6 began reporting on Richmonders' frustrations with their local social services agency, complaining about delayed benefits, applications that were seemingly not getting processed, and the inability to reach a caseworker:
- “It’s a system, and the system is failing our seniors and disabled community at an alarming rate," healthcare coordinator Latisha Carson told CBS 6 in February.
- "I've been trying to get through to my worker and through calling Richmond 311, and I'm just getting no response," said Richmond resident Billy Squier in April.
- “I personally have clients that applied for social services for food stamps and Medicaid in December and January, and they still don’t have help," said non-profit leader Arlene Simmons in May.
Social services employees also spoke to CBS 6 anonymously describing miserable, stressful working conditions that were taking a toll on their mental and physical health as they grappled with extreme caseloads and staffing shortages.
As of January 2023, Richmond was non-compliant with state and federal standards for the timely processing of benefits applications and well below the state average in almost every category.
After CBS 6 brought these issues to light, the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS), which oversees local departments, developed a specialized planto help the city clear its backlog.
"We went and had a meeting with the director of Richmond City after the news articles started coming out to see what kind of support we could provide from the state level," VDSS Deputy Commissioner of Human Services Carl Ayers said in an April interview.
The plan included allocating funding and state employees to help Richmond with processing SNAP and Medicaid applications, case renewals, administrative support, and customer service. While addressing lawmakers in May, Ayers called the plan "a step beyond what I would generally do for the other 119 jurisdictions."
In a previous statement to CBS 6, VDSS said the plan took effect May 1. However, Richmond has now said in a new statement that they didn't start receiving help from the state until mid-June.
CBS 6 requested data on the timely processing of applications, through the Freedom of Information Act, to see if the city had improved under this new support plan from the state.
The target is for localities to process applications within 30 days 97% of the time. Here are Richmond's percentages for meeting that goal:
MEDICAID:
- May: 83%
- June: 80%
- July: 80%
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP):
- May: 88%
- June: 87%
- July: 87%
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF):
- May: 88%
- June: 67%
- July: 53%
CBS 6 reached out to VDSS on August 2 to ask why the timeliness of applications worsened in some areas, despite extra assistance from the state, and has not heard back.
Richmond said the figures prove the city is in a better position now.
"DSS continues to ensure that our clients are met with care and that their cases are handled with urgency. Based on the percentages you presented for the last three months, we are remaining consistent and where we have an increase (TANF), we are working to make sure to meet what appears to be an increased need in this area," said Richmond City spokesperson Petula Burks.
Burks explained that TANF applications increased by 21% in volume over that time period, which is why TANF application completions dropped so significantly.
She said Richmond is "not operating under a backlog, but a moving target based on how many applications are received in a month and what it actually takes to fully process an application" and that sometimes, processing applications are delayed due to missing information from the clients.
Burks said the department is closing the gap on staff vacancies by recently hiring 37 new full-time and part-time employees, and an additional 31 full-time and part-time employees are in the recruitment phase.
These new employees will still need to complete a 6-9 month training process before they can start working cases. If all recruits are successful, Burks said these workers will fill all the previously vacant benefit programs specialist positions.
The state's supplemental plan is set to end on September 30, according to VDSS.
"While the state provided supplemental help, those staff members were not filling vacancies within DSS. Basically, they served as additional hands-on deck to assist with application and renewal processing for the SNAP and Medicaid programs," Burks said. "We are fortunate that the state recognized that putting people first required more hands and we will continue to put our residents first to assist them when they need it the most."
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