The intent of the IR and what it actually accomplished are probably not the same. For the aged & disabled population (not including the customers who have the work requirement waived) the process is difficult and confusing at best. A large percentage of the aged and disabled have limited education and resources, which makes completing AND signing then returning the form a challenge. Generally the average person living on Social Security has no reportable changes, maybe the bank account will change by a few dollars but in general they are struggling to make ends meet. This doesn't necessarily apply to the work requirement waived population and the family & children population as they are more mobile and get/change jobs frequently.
The amount of time & resources (work hours - normal work hours plus comp time if the agency authorizes it and physical items such as paper, copier costs, postage, etc) required is tremendous. Forms are incomplete, not signed or not returned - time spent on sending & resending the forms, answering calls or speaking with customers who did not receive their benefits then processing the IR can be overwhelming considering it coinsides with monthly renewals.
The IR for the 24 month cert. period often coinsides with the yearly Medicaid reviews. This too addes to the confusion for the aged and disabled. They receive two forms at approximately the same time with similiar questions so they complete one thinking that it will suffice. Then there is the issue of required verifications for Medicaid v. SNAP and explaining to the customer Medicaid policy requires this but SNAP does not.
A 6 month cert. period would not generate anymore paper or work plus the customer seems to have a better grasp of the renewal concept than the IR. Commons statement heard are 'I didn't receive it' or 'nothing changed so I didn't fill it out'. Many clients call and leave messages about no changes so the worker has to review the case to determine the the purpose of the call and then contact the customer to let them know they have to complete the form and the info can't be taken over the phone.
Good customer service is paramount in any field. Making it easier for the customer to access benefits is great but the responsibility seems to have shifted to the workers/agencies. There has to be a way to make access user friendly and not overwhelm workers to the point of collapse. Eligibility can be rewarding and challenging - it's never boring but at the same time it can be overwhelming and without support or processes in place to assist workers they can get discouraged and quit.
