Colorado’s beleaguered technology system once again impacted Jefferson County last week, leading to a significant reduction in processed applications for food assistance and other aid. The county saw about one-third fewer applications handled than usual, causing delays in assistance for approximately 200 individuals.
The broader implications extend beyond Jefferson County. Across Colorado’s 11 largest counties, an estimated 850 families are left without assistance for every half hour the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS) is inoperative. Overall, during the 73 hours of system failure from April to December, around 124,000 families were affected, as reported by Colorado Counties Inc. Many families are forced to wait a month or longer without vital food assistance.
On August 22, Jefferson County faced particularly acute challenges, struggling to manage a surge in food assistance applications and enforcing mandatory overtime for employees. In July, the county only processed 46% of new Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applications within the federally mandated timeframe, marking the lowest rate in Colorado.
Currently, Colorado is under a federal corrective action plan due to its sluggish food assistance processing times, ranking among the lower five states nationwide. Households are supposed to receive assistance within 30 days of application and seven days for expedited cases. Unfortunately, the state has only managed to outpace Kansas, Florida, New York, Georgia, along with Guam, the Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C.
The surge in applications since the pandemic, compounded by inadequate staffing, exacerbates the situation. The Colorado Department of Human Services is attempting to remedy the backlog, but the aging state computer system that governs various benefits, including Medicaid and child support, poses a more significant challenge. State officials have expressed their frustrations with CBMS, which has been patched repeatedly over the years without undergoing a complete overhaul. This year, the state plans to allocate over $102 million for the system, which was launched in 2004 and involves numerous vendors and websites managing data for over 1.25 million Coloradans.
While system-related outages decreased from 317 hours in 2022 to 138 hours in 2023, there have already been 20 hours of downtime this year. The human services department is currently dealing with two years’ worth of pending system fixes and updates, as well as specific issues with SNAP.
In response to improving processing times, Colorado has recently achieved an 88% on-time rate for new food assistance applications and 87% for renewals, up from about 75% last year. However, this still falls short of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 95% compliance target. Local disparities persist, with some counties struggling significantly.
For instance, San Juan County processed just one food assistance application in July, failing to meet the 30-day requirement, while Costilla County managed only 18.8% of new applications on time due to staffing issues and a continued rise in requests. Costilla County’s eligibility supervisor noted that the influx of requests from new residents is overwhelming their resources.
In efforts to tackle the backlog, Jefferson County employees are now required to work overtime, processing about 600 applications daily on normal operational days. However, the failures of the CBMS directly hindered their efficiency, resulting in a significant drop in productivity during outages.
To address staffing shortages, Adams County has increased eligibility specialists’ salaries significantly and provided mental health resources, leading to a reduced vacancy rate. El Paso County has also improved its processing times by simplifying certain procedures, further enhancing the application process for residents.
Overall, while some progress has been made in Colorado’s food assistance system, substantial improvements are needed to ensure timely and efficient support for families in need across the state.