SNAP escalation backlog in Georgia surges past 2,400 as weekly complaints jump ninefold
Georgia families struggling to access food benefits are running into a new bottleneck: the state's own escalation queue.
Internal Department of Human Services reports obtained this week show EBT/SNAP complaints sent to contractor Conduent ballooned from 237 to 2,207 in a single week, pushing the outstanding backlog to 2,444.
Nearly 58% came through the state call center, and one in three was a repeat complaint.
DHS launched a dedicated inbox as the consolidated escalation process began Oct. 20.
This means that thousands of unresolved cases are still awaiting action from Conduent.
Back in June, a cyberattack on Georgia's SNAP call center delayed benefits for many Georgians.
Now as a government shutdown presses on, families in Georgia are still experiencing SNAP/EBT backlogs.
The Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) contracts with Conduent to run an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) call center for Georgia EBT cardholders to check their card status, review their account balance, and perform similar functions.
On July 28, Conduent's IVR faced a cyberattack, resulting in service disruptions. On Aug. 8, DHS announced that it had instructed Conduent to take the EBT IVR system down.
Months later, SNAP recipients are still reporting problems accessing their benefits as a government shutdown continues. As the government shutdown carries on, nearly 1.4 million Georgians will not see their benefits come Nov. 1st.