SNAP Strife

Close to a quarter of New Mexico residents are enrolled in the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides access to food benefits for low-income and otherwise qualifying people. In recent months, several program recipients tell SFR they are encountering delays and other bureaucratic problems when they try to access those benefits.

One mother and SNAP recipient, who asked to remain anonymous, citing the perceived stigma of using SNAP, tells SFR she’s always been quick to begin the required renewal process. She began using the SNAP program during the COVID-19 pandemic after a surgery reduced her ability to work.

When the six-month period of benefits ended and it came time to renew last summer, she says she used the online portal to do so and later received a letter informing her the benefits had been approved. She “didn’t think much about it” after that, she says. But then her card failed to reload, sending her into a game of calls and runaround. While she waited for the state to correct the issue, she says she had to rely on her son’s father—who lives out of state—to help them out and make ends meet. The fitness teacher says this waiting game has been the case for the past few times she attempted to renew as a customer.

“I had someone that was able to help me, but I just kept thinking about all the people that probably don’t,” she says, adding her friend knew others that went to soup kitchens because of issues renewing their benefits.

The woman says she made calls to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office, the Human Services Department and the office of Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe. The latest call she made to HSD lasted nearly four hours, she says.

“I was in tears. It took me a really long time to just swallow my pride and do the EBT. It’s mortifying as it is and you feel kind of like a lowlife,” she says. “You feel like you’re not worth having someone call you back because you’re such a degenerate. It’s like, ‘Why are you even asking for help?’”

EBT—or Electronic Benefits Transfer—refers to the system that SNAP recipients use to pay for food.

A second woman, who also requested anonymity, citing comparable embarrassment over receiving public benefits, tells SFR her experience with renewal was similar. As a 14-year resident of Santa Fe who is “moving toward being disabled” with “a lot of mobility issues,” she has relied on the program since 2019, she says.

When she applied for a renewal in July 2023, she says she didn’t receive benefits until October. She says she’s had to get help from her family in the time she’s waited. When she last spoke with a case worker, they advised her to call in if she uses the online portal to guarantee her benefits would come through and not get lost in a stack of paperwork, which she describes as “the most ridiculous thing” she’s ever heard. Those calls have lasted hours for her as well.

“If they give you the option of renewing online, you shouldn’t have to also call and wait for hours on hold,” she says, noting she does understand the large number of people that use the benefits.

While she’s sure it takes the department a long time to get through everything, “there has to be a better way.”

“To me, it sends the message that they’re not taking the problem seriously enough,” she says. “It makes you feel like the people that are on this program are not quite as important.”

Human Services Department Director of Communications Marina Piña tells SFR the increase in individuals experiencing issues and delays with SNAP benefit renewals can be explained by the April 2023 end of COVID-related federal policies that allowed for automatic renewals and led to “a higher volume of applications and renewals than usual.”

Piña also notes those who are enrolled on the Medicaid program add even more pressure on the “overwhelmed” staff for similar reasons. During the COVID-19 pandemic, New Mexicans enrolled in Medicaid did not need to provide renewal information to keep their coverage. The end of the same pandemic-era policies from the federal government required states to renew benefits and verify eligibility for all customers. The process that followed, coined the Medicaid Unwinding Period, began in April 2023 and ended in March of this year.

Such factors seem to also contribute to extended call and hold times for customers who call the office to renew benefits. According to data provided by the state Human Services Department, New Mexicans have waited roughly two hours and 15 minutes on average to speak to a case manager to do just that since October 2023.

“We are definitely working to close that gap,” Piña says of the numbers.

She says officials want to stabilize the volume of applications and work to make the process faster for recipients seeking to renew benefits through increased staffing. The department, she adds, already took several steps to address the issue, including returning to in-person work at local locations and going back to regular lobby and office hours.

In addition, she says, the department launched a “very robust public engagement campaign” last year, including direct customer communication through mail, text message and email, as well as TV, radio and newspaper advertisements. The department, Piña says, encourages customers if able to visit local offices because “many community members do prefer that face-to-face. We have trained case workers on site,” and the increased number of in-person visits could help alleviate stress on call lines.

“Definitely we’ll start seeing a change now that the period is over,” Piña says, noting the department is also encouraging New Mexicans to see if they qualify to increase program participation. “That’s why we’re here—to help people in need.”