Generally, we are not in favor of IRs.  But the alternative – 6 months reviews could be worse given the size of our SNAP caseload. Fairfax County currently handles an average of 1,471 IRs per month.  If we had to do renewals that would increase the workload to double that or 2,942 renewals per month – a daunting task.  If you think about the staff cost of managing the IRs process, that is another eye opener.  We estimate that the monthly cost of processing IRs is approximately $19,000 per month or $228,000 per year (calculated at 31 minutes per IR x 1,471 x the average staff hourly rate).  We should take into account the cost effectiveness of such a process and perhaps the feds need to consider the return on investment of their policy.

Given the limited choices in front of us, we regretfully feel that we have no option but to vote in favor of keeping IRs, but request the following changes:

o        Simplify language and format of the IR form. We volunteer to redo the form on behalf of the state.

o        Translate IR form into Spanish

o        Ask for as few verifications as federal regulations allow.  If possible, let information on the IR be client declaration w/o verification. This will be a tremendous saving on staff time and cost. If a change reported increases benefits, increase it for a month, request verification and if not received, revert benefits to previous amount until recertification. The amount we are saving in canceling or adjusting benefits and requesting verifications three and four times cannot be higher than the amount we are currently spending on feeding this monstrous process

o        Allow for a flat medical deduction standard similar to the way it is done for utilities. This will simplify the process and reduce errors that occur in trying to figure out what people are paying.