Misfortune SNAP benefits; DTA Assistance Line Challenges; MA Org Sign-on Letter for Child Tax Credit

FoodSNAP
07/17/23

Greetings all. We hope you are grabbing lunch outside today to catch some sunshine after the (yet again) downpour yesterday. Ugh. A couple of important items:

SNAP Misfortune Benefits due to Flooding:

Many of you may be working with SNAP households Western MA or other parts of the state who lost food due to the extensive flooding and/or related power outages last week. This includes food that became unsafe to eat if they lost power or was damaged due to flooding. 

Remember: SNAP households get SNAP benefits to replace food they purchased with their SNAP benefits but was lost or tossed due to a household misfortune. 

  • Here’s a link to DTA’s SNAP misfortune webpage and the updated form that households can fill out and upload to their DTAConnect Account or send to DTA.. 

  • Households can also report the misfortune by phone by calling the DTA Assistance Line, selecting their language and then pressing 5, then 1.

  • Here’s MLRI’s SNAP misfortune webpage if you need more info.   

DTA Assistance Line High Volume challenges: 

We have been hearing reports from clients and community partners that it has been difficult at times to get through the DTA Assistance Line - 877 382 2362 - due to a high volume of calls. When the Assistance Line has high caller volume, callers are often automatically disconnected from the phone line without getting into the phone line waiting queue. 

Here are recommendations on how to help people facing urgent issues that can’t be solved by using DTA Connect:

  • For older adults age 60+:  Call the Senior Assistance Office and leave a voicemail if the wait times are too long. (833) 712-8027. Let us know if you or your client are either unable to leave a VM, or if your client doesn’t hear back within one business day! 

  • In-person help: For people with urgent issues who are able to do so, go to a local DTA office during business hours. 

  • The DTA Ombuds office: Call the Ombuds at  617-348-5354 and leave a VM. Note, the ombuds may also be backed up if the Assistance Line is hard to get through.

  • Document all attempted calls: If you or your client cannot get through to the DTA Assistance Line, we urge you to track the attempted calls.This could be important to show a delay was not the client’s fault if they were trying to reach DTA to file an application (and establish the start date for applying), doing an interview timely or otherwise showing proof of their attempted calls to keep or boost benefits. 

  • Request a fair hearing: For people facing a SNAP termination or reduction and who can’t reach a DTA worker quickly for help, they can always request a fair hearing if they disagree with DTA’s decision to stop or reduce their benefits. If an appeal request is filed before the date the termination or reduction goes into effect - unless they are at a Recertification point - their SNAP should continue until the appeal is decided. Here is more information on filing an appeal. 

Please let us know what you and your clients are experiencing!

Join 48 MA Orgs in Sign-On letter to MA Legislature on Child Tax Credit - DEADLINE TODAY!

The Massachusetts Legislature is on the brink of passing major expansions to state family tax credits this year, including a fully refundable, ITIN-eligible Child and Family Tax Credit and boosted Earned Income Tax Credit. These are essential to addressing hunger and supporting family health and well-being in the state – but we need YOUR HELP to get them across the finish line! 

Now is a critical moment to urge members to include the House's more robust Child and Family Tax Credit in its final bill. If your organization is not one of the 48 MA orgs listed HERE, please consider adding your agency name to this letter. The Healthy Families Tax Credits Coalition, led by Children’s HealthWatch, is circulating a statewide organizational sign-on letter in support of the House’s more generous Child and Family Tax Credit proposal, which will ultimately provide a benefit of $600/dependent, indexed to inflation. The letter text and sign-on form are here. The deadline for signatures is TODAY Monday, July 17th.

For individual advocacy, please use this one-click VoterVoice email tool to let your legislators know that you support a $600 Child and Family Tax Credit, or consider sending a letter directly to conference committee members using this template.

Upcoming Events:  Save the dates for these important events. 

  • UPDATE:  Hunger Free Campus bill hearing moved to Sept 19th. In an earlier email we noted that the Hunger Free Campus bill was scheduled for a hearing on July 18th. The Joint Committee on Higher Ed  has since agreed to schedule the bill for Tuesday, September 19th in Gardner Auditorium. The September data will allow more college students to attend, and also participate in a lobby day! This is good news for the Campaign! (There’s still a hearing tomorrow - July 18th on other higher ed bills including instate tuition in Room A-1 of the State House.) 

  • Tuesday July 25th - Digital Equity Program (by Zoom) from 10 to 11:30 AM. MLRI invites you to an interactive program on digital access, education, and connectivity. Speakers will discuss efforts across the Commonwealth to further digital equity that directly benefit the people and communities with whom we work and highlight resources for individuals and organizations including civil legal aid programs and our network of nonprofit partners. Register HERE.