Tennessee Department of Human Services

Applied for SNAP on 12-15-2023 after a sudden termination - I patiently waited until 1-17-2024 for an appointment never heard anything back, I selected email notifications and checked the dashboard. Called the 866-311-****; waited on hold for 3:40 mins; agent answered and said the appointment was pending and not set.

An appointment letter was MAILED instead and delayed by USPS - snow week and some national mail issue. So, I missed the appointment; I filed an appeal on 2-8-2024. Appeal was submitted but when I go for updates -the system says no appeal has been filed. I replied around 2-20-2024; and received an appointment notice for March 2024, agent called earlier than the appointment time they scheduled - so I called the 866 number and waited 3 hrs 1 min and watched for the SECOND call from the agency.

Chat is USELESS. FINALLY, I connected to an agent, she let me vent and told me she could ONLY reschedule my appointment and that the agent entered that she had just called me roughly 20 mins from the time we were talking (while I was HOLD with DHS). I said NO; I've been on hold for you since I saw her first call. The agent claimed she was resetting my appointment and DISCONNECTED THE LINE.

When the call was ended by the agent; I saw that the interviewer DID CALL A SECOND TIME.

NOW I'm HOLD AGAIN, 54 mins+ TO CONFIRM MY RESCHEDULING. FILE COMPLAINT W/ DHS INSPECTOR GENERAL!!!

JESUS OF NAZARETH HELP THOSE CALLING ON YOU ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH CHILDREN, ARE SICK OR DISABLED, THE CHALLENGED AND THE BROKEN HEARTED & MIND - BE CHRIST.

DHS IS SEVERELY INCOMPETENT AND SHOULD BE FINED FOR EVERY SINGLE DAY AND EVERY SINGLE PERSON ESPECIALLY EVERY CHILD THAT HAS TO GO TO BED HUNGRY BECAUSE THE FREAKING CASEWORKER DIDNT DO THEIR JOB. I swear, the amount of time I spend contacting people or businesses over one issue or another bc someone didn't do their job is so much I can't even count it.

2 MONTHS AGO I was to have a phone interview which really doesn't make sense anyway because it was just a 6 months recertification or so I thought. Maybe one of the reasons that the workers are stating that their backlogged is because doing this asinine phone interview and having to fill out a whole other application at 6 months when you're supposed to be approved for a year or at least it's the way they used to do it. This is absolutely ridiculous I got food stamps for 5 months after my first month of emergency stamps and so August 3rd I wish to have a phone interview with caseworker Kathy Ogle. She never called she hasn't returned my messages I have filed a complaint or actually feel that a customer inquiry form on dhs's website was still no response nothing is being done meanwhile because I have been sick I have been unemployed for 3 months now and after she missed the interview and I never received any communication after that not in the mail or anything and after getting my food stamps in August well here came this month and I got no food stamps hey so what in *** am I supposed to do what are my kids supposed to do?

It is absolutely ludicrous that anyone should have to put up with this. It really and truly they don't care they really don't give a crap because it's not them. I think they should be fine for every single day and every single person that goes without food because of their backlog. I don't know what the hell's going on but Tennessee's government and state offices are in sad condition.

First last year I dealt with unemployment in their stupid computer glitch which caused me to go for several weeks without even getting my unemployment benefits back then causing scheduled payments that I had to credit cards and to loans to be several weeks late because they were late paying me but they didn't give a crap it wouldn't their credit that got destroyed it was mine so thanks to them my freaking credit score went down by over 100 points due to multiple late payments due to no fault on my own it was completely 100% their fault they are obligated to make those unemployment payments to you if you have worked a set amount of time then the law states that if you were terminated or laid off you were to receive unemployment benefits because you've been paying into it with your taxes anyway and that is owed to you and there's no excuse for you not receiving what you are supposed to be receiving. Same goes for these food stamps I mean my God how can they justify letting people go freaking hungry. And as long as they're not suffering any consequences nothing's going to change that's why I believe the state of Tennessee should have to pay each and every single one of us that has had to go without our food stamps and when did this whole 6 months thing start happening anyway? It used to be that every 6 months you just filled out a change form they sent you a form ask if anything changed if you didn't you just signed it and turned it if it did change you wrote on there what changed and then they acted accordingly but now every 6 months they're making you feel like a whole nother application go through a whole other phone interview process no wonder the freaking backlogged if they're having to do that stupid crap!

I am so Furious I don't even know what to do with all this anger I'm calling the family assistance center this morning and I don't want to hear their excuse about them being backlog because to me that's not an excuse because how you going to tell my children's stomachs to be patient they're just backlogged that won't work and to be honest with you pantries are going dry because they're doing this to everybody there's on the food in the communities that pantries to feed everybody I don't get unemployment benefits anymore either so I have nothing there is just no excuse for this and I want to know who I can contact they can actually do something about this a representative the governor somebody that is a guarantee you if this DHS was being fine or having to face severe ramifications for them being slow I guarantee you they get on it real fast. For those of us that have worked our whole lives like me I started working when I was 16 and I've never stopped I'm only not working because I'm sick my autoimmune disorder has been wreaking havoc with me for about a year and a half now you know I worked hard my whole life paid my taxes did what I was supposed to do and part of paying taxes is those tax dollars are used for things like this for people less fortunate or people that need to depend on benefits because everybody needs help from time to time everybody goes through tough times. But we are absolutely OWED so much better than this. Thus us absolutely *** And okay so maybe there's a little bit of backlog okay so tell me why it's been over 2 months since my phone interview was supposed to happen I don't believe for one second that they're so backlogged and seeing as how if they work a 40-hour week how they haven't had time to get to a phone interview a 15 minute phone interview that was supposed to take place over 2 months ago this is utterly unacceptable and I want to know if anyone out there knows who can be contacted about this I mean everything around us is falling apart nobody can afford housing anymore nobody's getting a freaking unemployment on time which is substantially ruining People's Credit like mine and really I deserve that I'm going to say something about that again I'm sorry I'm rambling but I'm so mad my credit should not have been destroyed unemployment should have gone to bat for me and should get my credit report repaired because they're the ones that caused that not me.

And now my kids don't even have enough freaking food to *** my kids don't even have enough freaking food to *** eat because they're *** lazy *** incompetent slow *** caseworkers. Unacceptable purely unacceptable every one of them should be fired because you're and everything you can to avoid ever having to deal with these piece of *** workers do anything messing with people's lives and that is just simply intolerable.

I've waited months for a appt being homeless and then I finally get a appointment last week and no calls so I call the office and ,866 number nobody answers or theres 145 min wait not 1 hour and 45 mins but 145 mins then after 130 mins they disconnect the phone. I go to office and they reschedule for yesterday again NO CALL so I go back to the office and wasn't as nice today.

NOBODY IS CALLING TO DO OUR INTERVIEWS BUT THEN THERE PUTTING ON THE PORTAL THAT ITS OUR FAULT BECAUSE WE MISS OUR INTERVIEW AND THATS NOT TRUE.. This is not okay at all to lie on us and its them not doin there jobs.. There was 2 other ppl in the same office this morning with same prob 1 lady said this has happen to her 5 times now. The government needs to be lookin into there employees and doing something.

Ppl are waiting months and months for appts and then they just say and do whatever they want to and we are suffering.. KIDS are starving because of the state not doing there part and this is wrong.. I pray that these ppl treating us and our kids this way never have to see there kids cry because there starving and homeless because we spend our bill money for food and then we get evicted and nobody seems to care.. God don't like ugly and we need to pray for everybody its hard out here as it is in this world and it doesn't help being shoved farther and farther down.

The only ppl getting punished is us and our families.. ANGER DOESNT EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HOW I FEEL..

I applied for SNAP benefits in October they did my phone interview and December finally I was approved... they asked if I needed a new card sent I told them yes and for some reason don't know why cuz mailing and physical address on my Snap application was both the same but instead they sent the snap card to an address I have not lived it in 5 years I called the local Department of Human Service I also called the 1-800 number they tell you to call but never could get anybody to do anything after about the third time of going to the local office the one at the front desk made a note and was giving it to her supervisor so her supervisor could personally get in and changed my mailing address to the address that is supposed to be the supervisor did that in January and here it is the middle of March and I still have not received a food stamp card and after so many times of canceling and ordering a new one it brings suspicion on your account for fraud what are you to do

Applied for foodstamps in July of 2023 and my application was denied due to a mistake made by my caseworker when it came to my income. I tried contacting my local dhs office in dresden tn with many failed attempts to reach anyone besides a recording left unlimited msgs on The voicemail without receiving any call backs.

I then filed an appeal and have continued to try and reach someone by phone without any success. Months have passed and many more failed attempts later and February of 2024 and I still havent got this issue resolved. With my appeal status saying its schedule for a hearing I competed another application and resubmitted my verifications while waiting to be contacted by dhs hoping it may somehow help the situation but still no luck! Extremely disappointed in the how b difficult it has bn to actually be able to contact someone (a human)!!

So much just for being able to receive any assistance in a timely manner. Its bn an absolute nightmare!

I ha e been trting to receive my benefits since September 2023. I always send in what they ask for and they deny me with and excuse once of not turning in liquidated assets.

I ha e no assets. The other 3 times i didnt even receive a denial or reason. So i refiled an application in October and November, my november case is still processing, i have sent all my check stubs available and tried to call them for over 2 weeks this week starts the 3rd wk. I have children and need my benefits im having to work extra just to afford the food im paying for without the help of my benefits and i cant afford my bills this way.

My name is Kathy Slagle of Elizabethton, TN and i need help please.i have sent in everything they ha e asked of me. It took them nearly 2 months just to give me a call for a phone interview.

Never received recertification appointment phone call Tried rescheduling it numerous times before my deadline with no luck from the office or the Assistance Center line so they canceled my food stamps I have now reapplied two months ago and I'm still waiting and this is all after telling them I was just laid off!

I have been sent in circles from calling the Family Assistance Center, (and consistently waiting on hold every time I've called for no less than 2 1/2-3 1/2 hrs every single time), and going to the Franklin DHS office and being told every time that they can't do anything on their end to help me and that it's all through the Family Assistance Center and to call them for assistance.

I'm a single mom and we are sinking fast and just in time for the holidays and my child's birthday that's 3 days after Christmas. I'm scared and don't really know where else to turn or what else to do...This is the worst our situations ever been and we literally have nothing.

I waited for my call in November keep benefits going never called me. I contacted DHS on matter person I spoke with said all is fine in system so

Now Friday 8th snap did not go in leaving me at checkout with 600 dollars

So I went ahead so I did not end up in position I am at this moment

Monday 11th to today

2 weeks waiting for interview cold call for benefit in which calling setting on hold total 65hrs all days for a five minute keep waiting and answer all calls.

Went to Knoxville office twice told same thing

Now at weekend and Christmas barely food in kitchen so just very sad and no Christmas dinner this year WE HAVE $0 NO BANK Account

MY HUSBAND WITH FEEDING TUBE AND WHAT WE GET ENAURE ITGER ITEMS USE EBT FOR TO KEEP WEIGHT ON HIM. HAS LOST 5 POUNDS

I AM A TERMINAL PATIENT ON 6 LITERS OXYGEN 75 PILLS AND 3 INJECTIONS A DAY

WE BOTH HAVE TENNCARE CHOICES CARE GIVER 3XWEEK

WE BOTH HAVE TENNCARE CHOICES CARE GIVER 3 X WEEK in which got me to office to see what was going on and ask help or what I needed to do.

So 8th-today Friday 22 my birthday nothing.

It says on sight and several workers said if you have 0 income usually within 7 days. I just ask if can help asap would and will be grateful

Thank you

God bless

Happy Holidays Samantha Mckelvey

12-22-1973

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