ATLANTA — Georgia continues to grapple with a backlog of SNAP cases, and as state officials repeat their request to federal regulators for technology to alleviate the delay, state data shows a department dealing with a difficult balance of increasing caseloads and a declining workforce.
According to data from the Georgia Department of Human Services, the average caseload size increased from 982 in May 2022 to 1,372 in May 2023. Frontline staffing levels, which include workers processing cases like SNAP, dropped during that same time period from 1,493 to 1,150.
State officials claim the data, which is published as part of regular board meetings for the agency, does not represent the entirety of the workforce managing cases, telling 11Alive there are currently more than 1,500 workers available including those in training or pulled in to help address the SNAP backlog.
DHS provided additional data for April (1,106) and May (1,372)
DHS provided additional data for April (1,349) and May (1,150)
GA DHS continues hiring caseworkers to handle benefit eligibility and processing, with more economic support specialist positions posted as recently as this week, with starting salaries for Level 1 hires at $34,000.
As part of retention efforts, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also included $243 million in FY 2024 budget to give state employees a cost-of-living raise of $2,000.
A spokesperson for DHS also confirmed the agency is "currently developing a new career path for OFI caseworkers to incentivize long-term employment with the agency and growth opportunities."