Ten Alaskans are suing the state, saying it failed to provide food stamps within the time frame required by federal law.This complain used to be The lawsuit was filed Friday in Anchorage Superior Court against Alaska Health Commissioner Heidi Hedberg. As the commissioner of a department that failed to provide needed services, Hedberg “has subjected tens of thousands of Alaskans to persistent starvation and will continue to do so,” the lawsuit said.
Some families waited four months to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps, the complaint said. In the absence of these benefits, people seek other ways to obtain food or keep food longer.
“Some of us rely on family members. We have people who rely on pantries. Some of us eat less so they can feed their kids, try to juggle their bills, and decide whether they’re going to pay for heating or groceries fees,” said Saima Akhtar, a senior attorney at the National Legal Center and Economic Justice, one of the firms representing the plaintiffs in this lawsuit.
“People are taking as many different paths as they can to take care of their families and eat right away, and it shouldn’t be that hard,” Akhtar said.
The complaint said the delay was due to “extreme delays and confusion at the Alaska Department of Health,” noting that an unresolved “massive backlog of unprocessed SNAP cases left thousands of Alaskans without critical food assistance during the coldest months of the year. “
While 10 Alaskans are named in the class action — residents of Anchorage, Marshall, Petersburg, Wasilla, Bethel, Palmer, Nome and Delta Junction — they represent Thousands of other Alaskans facing the same problem.
Under federal law, the Department of Health must provide continuing SNAP benefits to eligible applicants within 30 days of the date of application. Families eligible for expedited processing must receive benefits within 7 days of submitting their application. Some families have been waiting for months, the complaint said.
The lawsuit asks the court to find that the Alaska Department of Health violated the federal SNAP Act and violated the due process provisions of the federal and state constitutions. The lawsuit wants the court to order the Department of Health to process people’s SNAP applications and recertifications within the timeframes required by federal law, allow people to apply for and seek benefits the first day they contact the agency, and ensure there are enough languages available to those who need them. Interpretation services and translation of documents.
In essence, injunctive relief requires states “to do what they are legally obliged to do within federal guidelines,” Akhtar said.
Plaintiff does not seek monetary damages.
“They want to be fed,” Akhtar said. “And they also have an opportunity to try and influence the system so that it doesn’t happen again so their siblings, their children and their communities don’t go hungry.”
In an email Friday, a Department of Health spokesman said, “The Commissioner and DOH are unable to comment on complaints or litigation because we have not seen complaints or been served in litigation.” The spokesman did not immediately respond to questions about the backlog. Other questions regarding the availability of language translation services for the SNAP application and forms were not answered.
Sen. David Wilson (R-Wasilla), chairman of the Senate Health and Social Services Committee, said his committee will hear from the Department of Health on the food stamp application backlog at its Tuesday, Jan. 24 meeting.
It’s a big issue, he said: “We’re talking about, you know, people’s livelihoods … it’s a health security issue.”
“We want to know, basically, what can we do in the Legislature to help you with this and how quickly can it be addressed and resolved? Those are the things I want to focus on,” Wilson said.
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