DCF: ‘All we verify is identity’

Applicants must complete a face-to-face interview under federal guidelines, but the rules don’t mandate they prove a loss of income, show documentation of damages and storm-related costs or list the Social Security numbers of children in their household. The idea is that someone who just went through a disaster might not have such documents on hand, according to the federal guidelines.

“All we verify is identity,” Carroll said. “It’s the only thing we verify. Everything else is client statement.”

Few applications were denied. Out of the 1,070,896 applications received, only 20,300 did not receive approval, according to DCF statistics.

The in-person requirement produced massive crowds and long waits at disaster relief sites in South Florida.

As people waited hours in the scorching sun, paramedics tended to dozens who needed medical attention because of the heat. But once through the doors, it took only about three to five minutes to process an application for people who had preregistered online, Carroll said.

For regular food stamps, applicants can apply online and complete a phone interview, often never needing to visit a DCF office — although the program does require more verification checks.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture — the agency that funds the program — say the in-person interview in the disaster program is important to stop fraud. But it’s also resulted in a lawsuit from the Health Rights Clinic at the University of Miami and other advocacy groups that claim it produces a barrier for people with disabilities and the elderly.

The state has filed a request with the federal government to allow people with disabilities to complete the application process by phone if they have already pre-registered but were not able to get their benefits.

DCF officials say they took fraud seriously, assigning investigators to all the sites. Those investigators reviewed 42,000 applications, avoiding the issuance of $13 million in benefits, according to DCF. They also checked the Internet for people trying to sell their D-SNAP cards online.

Three people were charged with identity theft related to the D-SNAP program, DCF officials said.

The state dedicated 6,000 people, including 1,500 temporary workers, to the effort, but they were under immense pressure to move tens of thousands of people through the lines. Carroll said state employees worked 15-hour days to handle the demand.

Gundersen said requiring more verification checks actually could increase costs for taxpayers by requiring more administrative resources. It cost about $33 million to police and operate the relief sites for Hurricane Irma, and the state will have to pay half of that expense, according to DCF.