Most Calls to San Diego County HHS Do Not Get Through, Report Finds
Five out of every six calls made to San Diego County requesting food stamps or other benefits are not addressed because of staffing and phone line shortages at the county's Health and Human Services Agency, according to an internal county report by consulting firm InTelegy, the AP/Sacramento Bee reports.
Key Findings
Each month, more than 350,000 calls go unanswered because of the shortages, the report found.
Researchers noted that the calls that do go through have an average wait time of more than 30 minutes (AP/Sacramento Bee, 2/7).
Recommendations
The report recommended that the county:
- Hire more caseworkers;
- Encourage more residents to apply for benefits online; and
- Interview more residents by telephone to help avoid delays (McDonald, U-T San Diego, 2/7).