Division of Public Assistance

Here in Homer, Monica Anderson is a patient benefits coordinator at Seldovia Village Tribe’s Health and Wellness center. She has patients who applied for SNAP, Medicaid and Senior Benefits back in September, and are still waiting to hear from the state’s Division of Public Assistance.

The state Division of Public Assistance said in an interview in early March, it’s hired more staff to help address the months-long delay, and is making changes to improve the assistance program. In early February, the federal government took note, and wrote to formally express “grave concerns” at how Alaska was handling SNAP applications. But for now, that is little consolation for Alaskans currently trying to make ends meet without essential food assistance.