S.C. agency says new computer will help SNAP clients, employees – WRDW
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – The system that doles out billions of dollars in food assistance each year to hundreds of thousands of South Carolinians could be in danger of crashing beyond repair if it’s not replaced soon.
That’s according to the state’s Department of Social Services, which oversees South Carolina’s SNAP benefits and says a crash like that would put those funds at risk.
DSS wants to scrap and rebuild the computer system that determines who qualifies for this help and that issues those benefits to more than 300,000 South Carolina households.
The department is asking state lawmakers for about $9 million to start what’s expected to be a multi-year project.
“The current system is over 34 years old. It is cumbersome. It is outdated for today’s standards,” said Connelly-Anne Ragley, DSS director of communications and external affairs.
So outdated that the Department of Social Services says newer technicians don’t know how to repair it when it has problems – and many of the ones who do are in or approaching retirement.
And yet the antiquated system is responsible for putting out nearly $2 billion in annual payments.
The agency estimates the total cost to replace the system will be $60 million to $80 million.
DSS says that’s because it’s so expansive – as the 300,000-plus households on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and DSS workers need to use it – and because they want to ensure a new system meets federal standards and lasts for years to come.
The federal government can pick up nearly half the cost if the state agrees to put in the rest.
It would allow for timely benefits to be distributed and for eligibility to be determined in a quicker manner, according to Ragley.
DSS is also asking for $5 million more in next year’s budget to extend the Healthy Bucks program.
It encourages SNAP recipients to purchase fresh produce from vendors like farmer’s markets.
But the money for it is estimated to run out by next summer.
“When our citizens are healthier, it actually costs less money in the long run, so I think anything we can do to provide proper nutrition to our citizens is a good program,” said Meg Stanley, Wholespire executive director.
The Healthy Bucks program was started almost 10 years ago – by now-Senate President Thomas Alexander and the late state Sen. Clementa Pinckney.
The money they used to create it came from federal money that DSS says can’t be replenished – so that’s why the agency is asking the state for it.
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