Back in August, a federal lawsuit was filed over the interminable delays that food stamp applicants face in Texas getting their forms processed. That suit was dismissed in October by Judge Sam Sparks on the grounds that the federal law didn’t allow for suits, so now the same lawyers as before have refiled in state court.
The suit, filed in state district court in Travis County, asked that the Health and Human Services Commission be ordered to comply with the rules, which require decisions on non-emergency food stamp applications to be made within 30 days.
Last month, the commission processed about 58 percent of applications statewide on time – in North Texas, it was 41 percent.
“Some of these people have been waiting for six months. It’s ridiculous,” said Robert Doggett, an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid in Austin. “We’re asking for a judge to order the department to make these decisions timely.”
We’ll see if they have any better luck there. You can read more about the food stamps saga here.
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