Given everything that we’ve heard about horrors in food stamp application processing lately, this should come as no surprise:
Federal officials, alarmed that a Texas computer system has been tardy in processing more than half the food stamp applications it was assigned in December, have asked the state to postpone rollout of the system to more [...]

Popularity: 38% [?]

As the battle continues to rage across the nation between Republicans who want to encourage privatization of states’ intake programs for Food Stamps and Democrats who want to preserve the program’s accountability and integrity, Texas is once again in the spotlight. And, as usual, it’s for nothing good.
Texas’ disaster with Accenture and the privatization of [...]

Popularity: 4% [?]

After several long years of screw-ups, red tape, and private contractors, the “permanent wall” that was keeping many kids off CHIP has begun to erode and, thanks to Democrats, the program’s enrollment is on the rise once again:
A health program that covers low-income children grew more this month than predicted, mostly because a 90-day wait [...]

Popularity: 21% [?]

[Updated: Thanks to Who's Playin? for reminding us we forgot to include the darned PDF link!]
Capitol Annex has obtained a copy of Brian Flood’s resignation/farewell letter as HHSC Inspector General. It’s here [.pdf].
Popularity: 25% [?]

Popularity: 25% [?]

Everyone knows that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and its subsidiary agencies are all pretty much an unmitigated disaster. So, Governor Perry’s failure to reappoint Inspector General Brian Flood to his current post should some as no surprise.
But, for a governor trying to distance himself from an appointee, Perry isn’t exactly doing a [...]

Popularity: 23% [?]

Check this from the Austin American-Statesman:
Texas doctors are turning away poor women who are eligible for digital mammograms because they say the state Medicaid program won’t pay for the procedure, although officials claim the program does.
Texas health officials said in December 2005 that they would use state-administered Medicaid money to pay for mammograms that use [...]

Popularity: 6% [?]

I’m on a CHIP Conference Call with the Center for Public Priorities right now and just heard that 17,000 kids were dropped from CHIP this month. This is a 14 percent drop and its the largest drop in one month in the history of CHIP.
Reportedly, DHS says this was a group of kids who were [...]

Popularity: 5% [?]

Should this be a surprise to us?
The new social services computer system that the state has spent six years and $425 million developing is slower, less accurate and more difficult to use than the old system it is supposed to replace, according to an audit released Wednesday by the Health and Human Services Commission’s inspector [...]

Popularity: 5% [?]

The Dallas Morning News has up a piece that details many of the numerous problems that went wrong with the Health & Human Services call centers run by Accenture.
This is one of those pieces that little more can be said about than is already in the piece.
I highly recommend you read this piece.
Popularity: 5% [?]

Popularity: 5% [?]

Just came across this press release via TCMNet, about Accenture, the company that is screwing up delivery of HHS Services in Texas:
SAN ANTONIO –(Business Wire)– June 27, 2006 — Accenture (NYSE: ACN) is opening a delivery center in San Antonio, Texas, that will provide business process outsourcing services to clients in Texas and around the [...]

Popularity: 7% [?]