ORLANDO, Fla. — Hundreds of Floridians are being denied SNAP and Medicaid benefits because of issues with an online application system.
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Since January, Channel 9 has told you about the online glitches and disconnecting phone lines that have forced some families to go hungry and others to lose healthcare coverage altogether.
On Thursday, a Volusia County mother of two turned to Channel 9 for help after she was denied her benefits.
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Megan Cooper told Channel 9 she had been trying to reach the Department of Children and Families for months but was unsuccessful.
“I’ve called more than 30 times and left messages,” Cooper said.
Cooper is a diabetic and relies on costly insulin medication to stay healthy.
She works as an office administrator and earns $500 a week, but the mother of two said that isn’t enough to cover healthcare and food for her family.
In March, she began applying for renewed SNAP and Medicaid, but she couldn’t get through to the state for a necessary phone interview.
Then, in late June, a letter said her three-person family would no longer receive SNAP benefits because she never completed that interview.
The letter also said she was no longer eligible for Medicaid.
“I felt hopeless, lost, confused, because I know I did everything they asked me to do,” Cooper said.
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Cooper told Channel 9 she has been visiting food pantries and churches to feed her family, but she was increasingly worried about meeting her healthcare needs.
Channel 9 contacted DCF on Cooper’s behalf and asked the state to review her case again.
Hours later, she got a phone call during which DCF told her she would be getting help after all. She was deemed eligible for SNAP and some medical coverage through the “medically needy program.”
But Cooper pointed to a larger problem: between online upload glitches and disconnecting phone lines, hundreds are likely losing benefits by no fault of their own.
“I know I’m not the only one, and I know there’s people that are worse than me and they need help,” Cooper said.
Since Channel 9 started emailing the Department of Children and Families about the glitches, the state has only ever acknowledged issues due to “user error.”
On Thursday, Channel 9 yet again pressed the state about plans to fix systemwide glitches.
A spokesperson for the Department told Channel 9 they were working on a response but did not get back to us by news time.
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In the meantime, Channel 9 has been in touch with advocates who have crowdsourced
Data showing hundreds have been impacted by issues since the new My Access application portal launched in early December of 2023.
Channel 9 has continued to ask the state for an interview to discuss the issues, but Channel 9 crews have not been approved for that interview yet.
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