Florida Department of Children and Families - Food Stamp Program review: Inability to reach the Florida Department of Children and Families 146

i feel the same way. all i can hear is "due to high call volume please try your call at a later time" and this goes on for weeks and weeks. and then you get an ineligible letter in the mail...i don't understand why you have a huge state calling one number with limited customer service representative...what a crappy system...

& If You do happen to get through on a phone, They hang up!
I finally got through, but had to keep pressing Zero as the switchboard operator kept switching
my connect back to menu!
Here is the number for ORANGE COUNTY that I happened to get through on.
[protected] for phone interview as the 866 number no one ever gets through!
Remember to keep pressing 0 zero if it switches back to menu on You! Don't give up!
Now they are toying with me on when I'm getting food stamp funds. I'm on ramen noodles and
crap scraps of food for the past 3 weeks because of their control games! I even wrote the Governor!
They need a clean sweep of Orange County office and need to hire all new!
People abuse their positions of employment, and I'm sick of it just as much as everyone else!
I'm sure most of us here can do a better job, they need to give us their jobs!
GOOD LUCK!

Complaint Description:
Okay, First off i dont know where to even start! So let me Think...*SCREAMS* Okay i just had to get that out! for the past week i have been calling the "Department OF Children and Families". Every Freakin representative i talked to (i dont need there names just ask me my social for the million time! and look up in my account and you will see all who was on my account) gave me the wrong information, different ways to resolve..nobody new anything unless i said something about my account! Ive been on hold for 35min, 45min and today i was on the phone for...well let me just tell you how many times i had to call to get through (50 times) on Wednesday AUgust 17, 2011, my longest call was 1hr 04min 50sec and that was mainly me on hold. One person picked up and asked me for my ss# and he said he was screening the calls then after 40min another dude got on the phone and fell asleep on the phone! ARE YOU SERIOUS? Im calling inrefrence to my stamps that i need and that i was told to call back for and after holding online for forever the REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FALL ASLEEP, AND ONE HANG UP THE PHONE WHEN YOUR SEEKING HELP AFTER WAITING SINCE 9 OCLOCK THIS MORNING AND NOW ITS 20:00PM ARE YOU SERIOUS and one girl told me that she had an appt at 2:00pm yesterday and she said she was going to call me back afterwards and took dowen my number and she never called!

Your Desired Resolution:
FIRST EVERY PERSON THAT WAS ON MY ACCOUNT SINCE MONDAY AUGUST 15, 2011 NEEDS TO BE FIRED! THERE ARE PEOPLE SUCH AS MY SELF LOOKING FOR JOBS TO TAKE CARE OF MY FAMILY AND THEY DONT APPRICIATE THEIRS. IF THEY DID THEY WOULD FOLLOW A COMPANIES RULE IN GIVING GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE. NO MATTER HOW SWEET I WAS TO THEM THEY STILL DIDNT CARE BECAUSE THEY FELT LiKE YOU NEED THEM MORE AND THEY FORGOT THAT THEY NEED THEIR JOB, SO THEY NEED TO BE FIRED! NEXT I NEED MY SITUATION RESOLVED WITH MY FOODSTAMPS BECAUSE I NEED TO GET MY CHILD SOME FOOD BECAUSE I DONT HAVE ANY INCOME COMING IN AND THATS NOT COOL THAT SOMEONE THAT WOULD APPRICIATE A JOB CANT GET ONE BECAUSE DCF RATHER HAVE PEOPLE THAT COULD CARELESS. NEXT I NEED AN APOLOGY FOR THEIR RUDENESS. NEXT I NEED AN EXTRA COMPENSATION TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS..IVE BEEN WASTING MY ENTIRE DAY BEING DISRESPECTED GETTING NO HELP WHEN I COULD BE TRYING TO HANDLE MILLIONS OF OTHER THINGS IN MY LIFE.

* I MINUS WELL GET OFFERD A JOB SO I CAN REALLY HELP PEOPLE! I NEED A HIGH PAYING POSITION TO! SO I CAN FIRE WHOEVER ISNT DOING THEIR JOB BECUASE THIS IS RIDICULOUS!

This case will be reviewed by a complaint specialist at the Better Business Bureau

This saddens me, reading all these posts. I am going on 32 weeks pregnant and have been waiting for some type of answer from medicaid for I can get insurance to see a Dr. I just moved to florida a month ago and I applied right away. I faxed in everything they needed and assumed they would put a rush on it since I was so far along. I lost my home in Ga so I had to come stay with family here in Florida but I had no idea it would be this hard to get medicaid. I have tried calling more than a dozen times and went to the access site and 2 different health care offices in order to see if anyone can get to my case as soon as possible due to the fact I am so far long in pregnancy and need to see a Dr. No one really cared to talk to me and all kept reffering me back to the contact # that stays busy and if not busy, you cannot get a live person on the line. I have written an email over a week ago, and have not had a response. I am scared to death that I am going to have this baby early since I am having complications and I can't see a Dr. It upsets me that I have been working for years paying taxes and I was laid off when I found out I was pregnant, I lost my home and now I just need the assistance to make sure I deliver a healthy baby and I can't even get that. I am now trying to figure out if I should go back to Ga and stay with friends until I give birth because it is much easier to get medicaid there, but to burden people who have no children and I don't know that well just for some medical help is absurd. I have no idea what to do or who to speak too... if anyone has any advice please email me at lovelykisha27@gmail.com.

Is super upset reg the comments left by others on here that they didn't help us make our children so they shouldn't help pay for them. A lot of us were paying our taxes and working our ### off to provide for our families, apparently you've missed the issue of our economic crisis here in America. People are being laid off from jobs they've held for years. Businesses are closing their doors. What gives you the right to place us all under an umbrella of judgement and categorize us all the same. Ill tell you what right...none. Screw you! Not everyone produces children to take advantage of or ride the system. Some of us simply require assistance until we get on our feet again and find other employment which is difficult in this day and age. We have valid complaints of not being able to reach a live person to deal w our various issues. Next time you wait on hold for an issue...let's say scheduling car service or paying a bill...don't you dare get upset. So keep your judgements to yourself. That's Gods job to do. Besides wth are you doing on this thread/board. find something better to do w your time...like work!

i have the same problem getting through to dcf to recertify for benefits, they have made it more difficult to get your application done online, god forbid you forget your username and password, you can, t do a new application online, why don, t they just hire some local people to answer the phones or just mail out applications for recertification, the computerized way isn, t working but what do they care? they won, t miss any meals, bet if i was one of their family members it would get through with a quickness. i hate i have to get assistance, they need to have a taste of what its like to have to struggle the way we do, get some people to answer the phones pleaseeeeeeee>

We all need to stand outside of the welfare office and take our crying hungry children with us. have them wear their raggedy clothes and call the local news, This system is designed to keep the poor away from florida, to discourage people to move here. jobs are hard to find here in florida! I meen jobs that can make ends meet. This so called richest and most powerful nation in the world! What an embarrasment. It can't even take care of its people in times of need. But no matter what i still love this country!

Hi I got so frustrated with this but I found someone who could atleast give me my case number her name is Lisa Gardner the number is [protected] good luck guys

I have tried several times with no results I am 74 years old and I dont know how to reach MU ACCOUNT I wrote twice and explained my my case, but I have been foolen and this is the secon month that I dibt have any money (which I was promised) in my magnetic card of Food Stamps
So have a 2 months gap
My case number is1243135603, my name is Catalina Avila and last time I reached you by phone I was told that my difficulties wewre to be known by the supervisor and I trusted...but now I know I hacve been fooled I have no assetes no bank account and I live on an SSI of $449.50 a month

I believe the State would spend less using live workers as oposed to the extremely expensive internet programs. The work would not back up and people in need would not be treated will ill manners because a worker is overworked so they say. I worked for the organization back in 2006 and I believe I was forced to resign because I treated clients like human beings. I was asked to resign because I was not what they were looking for. I worked the system according to the new implimented policies which some of the workers who had been there for more than 10-20 years rejected. They constantly complained that it would not work. And I always thought it would if the workers would work the new program that eliminated a lot of the red tape they tie people up with just because they are in need. Any worker that made it difficult for the client they praised at the office I worked in Florida. I went back to college to learn more about public administration. However, because of the economy I have not yet been able to acquire work . I notice the system is still in need of a better operating system.

One thing I do know is florida's benefit system is frustrating but you have to stay on top of everything never do things at the last minute or you won't get what you need! For the people getting on here calling others names and things this is the wrong board for you this mother was complaining about dcf and you're complaining about her. You don't know anyones situation so I suggest you humble yourself and pray to God that you never have to be in that situation where you have no one and no where to turn to. I will admit there are some people who use and abuse the system which makes it bad for the people who are really trying. As far as the advice of taking your baby's daddy to court for child support if he says he has no job you get nada! Also you don't get every single penny of child support! I suggest trying to get out of florida because there's extremely too many people there and not enough benefits or jobs for everyone!

I myself am having the same problems. The customer service line is a Big Fat Joke! I have been trying for over a week now calling consistantly to customer service line to help me with "My Access Account" I've been locked out and cannot get back online. I've tried to reset using their "forgot login/password feature however it doesn't recongize my security answer. I've faxed a request for someone to please call me as I cannot get a hold of one of them. Still no response. Also I've faxed the requested documentation 4 separate times since 3/31/2011 and the telephone automated system is still requesting this information & says that my case is pending until they receive it. I faxed them a letter telling them that I've faxed the information 4 times now...for someone to please call me...still no response. I finally got desparate and called the interview line which I know a human is working those phone lines. A man answered & was extremely rude to me. Told me it wasn't his problems that I couldn't get thru to customer service that I would have to keep trying & everytime I tried to explain my situation he kept interrupting me and saying "I cannot not talk to you" and he eventually hung up on me. I really feel like they don't want to help us. They want everyone to become so frustrated with the system that we will stop calling. I left a message at the number that someone provided above in Jacksonville [protected] for Michael McKibben. I'm praying he will at least call me back & try to help me.

DIDDO, Diddo, Diddo! I have been through everything everyone on here has i can not believe this system is allowed to malfunction in this severe way! I have not been able to get one single live person calling every single day from open to close! Unbelievable! I went ahead and faxed what they needed b4 the so called interview and according to there records never recieved it! However I did save the copy of proof from the local One Stop office it was done at! Yes for all you idiots out there posting negative about people getting on assistance I also look for a job every single day of my life also while trying to get help so screw you! And may you end up in the same boat as us all! My family and I personally moved here from Kansas to help my mother who is battling colon cancer after he also got laid off from aircraft career and yes paid a butt load of his taxes to help support gvt assistance never once would I or him judge anyone in these circumstances because you never know, may you be the lucky one on here next desperate for help better yet your children or grandchildren! think about that why don't you!

Can anyone tell me the date that your food assistance goes on your card? This is my second month receiving the first time was on the 5th of February. Is there a number I can call to check this out and speak to a live person?

Can anyone tell me when you receive your food assistance for the month? This will be my second month getting them and last month I received the benefits on the 5 and this month nothing so far and is there a number I can call?

LEAVE IT TO FLORIDA TO MISMANAGE AND FAIL TO PROVIDE GOOD CONTACT INFORMATION AND RESPOND TO NEEDS EVEN FOR FOOD STAMPS.

my food card was never sent out! that's why i was trying to contact a human being. after i did get hold of someone, please see previous posts, i was infomed that my card was one month and three weeks behind schedule- no kidding! a new one was sent, but the hoops to go through were nearly impossible.

the card came today, btw, and didn't work right- i had to call again, and a ebt chase/employee had to activate it for me. my social security number was not recognised by the system.

oh boy!

I have read so many people talking about the letters... I guess I too will jump on the band wagon with this one. If you get the letter don't even bother with calling. Just go to the nearest DCF office and show them the letter. That gets you back to the idiots that put the info in the computer... take with you EVERY bill you have... your rent/mortgage info, utilities, car payments... anything that you pay on a monthly basis, take that with you. DO NOT take the originals, take copies... sometimes they want to keep it, sometimes they don't. Make sure that you take bank statements for the last 60 days and income for the last 30 days. If you are getting help from a friend or family member then get a statement from them stating how much they gave you and when and if it's an ongoing thing. If you are not working, get statements from people that know your not working. That way, when you get there and stand in line for 2 hours and you FINALLY get back to the "window of idiots" you will have your crap together and can blow through it. Make sure that you know the value of your car. Don't have a blue book value? Look it up online. Don't use an excuse that you don't have internet... there is the public library and friends and neighbors and the DCF office has computers down there. They don't care if you are struggling... they don't care if you have food. They don't care that before the economic crisis that you would have NEVER set foot in a place like that. I swear that this division of public help needs a major overhaul. If you have your crap together BEFORE you go down there, it would save on the time you have to wait for benefits. When I applied, I anticipated what they wanted before I even got a letter. I applied online with the ACCESSFL.com site and then that day I got a copy of everything they would need (income and bills) and went down to the office. I stapled it all together and put it in the drop box. My family had benefits within a month. It is certainly a pain in the butt to deal with these people. The only advice I can give you is to anticipate what they want, have it ready, and by all means... save your minutes on your phones and just make a day of it and go down there. You get more done that way. Good luck to all. Oh... good luck with the whole caseworker thing... they change every month... just know your case number and every paper that you turn in, write that case number on it. And for those who asked what a case number was... it's on the papers that they send you... if you have some type of letter from the state, you have a case number on there. AND KEEP A COPY OF EVERYTHING YOU GIVE THEM AND MAKE SURE THAT THE IDIOTS IN THE WINDOW STAMP IT WITH THEIR STUPID STAMP SO THAT YOU HAVE PROOF THAT YOU DID EVERYTHING THAT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DO ON YOUR END. It's a bunch of flippin tards running that place. So, cover your a$$.

very weary over days of not able to communicate to anyone. i just telephoned the wrong person [intentionally] at the intended wrong extention, in efforts of being transferred to an actual live human being; immediately, the receiver was picked up--- it worked, and i submit the information for people to try if you are in the Orlando area:

Mental Health Program Supervisor
400 West Robinson Street
Hurston Bldg., South Tower, Suite S-1106
Orlando, Florida 32801
[protected]

my ebt card never arrived and it's been two months. so... for days i have spent :
being disconnected,
hearing "you cannot leave a message because the mailbox at that extention is full",
checking my online status,
trying to reach someone at the dpt children and families office,
ebt card office, et c- to no avail. that's when i contacted the wrong number and it worked enabling me to be transferred to the administrative dpt for :

ACCESS Administrative
Office Information
400 W. Robinson Street, S-1106
Orlando, FL [protected]
[protected], Fax 245-0575
TDD same as voice #

Client Relations Coordinator:
Maxine McGregor and Gretchen Perry
[protected]

http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/regions/c9/

i contacted a person [the wrong person, but i was FINALLy transferred to an actual working voice mail for the access administrative office! the following information is for orlando area; maybe if enough people call the worng numbers, have to be transferred, the DC&F will get the hint!

Mental Health Program Supervisor
400 West Robinson Street
Hurston Bldg., South Tower, Suite S-1106
Orlando, Florida 32801
[protected]; Fax [protected]

I also live in Florida. I applied for Medicaid the SAME DAY I found out I was pregnant. How long before I actually received prenatal care? Four months into my pregnancy. I have a hospital bill that I am currently fighting because I actually had medicaid at the time, but they are trying to bill me for it. I am 6 months into my pregnancy and still have not received a medicaid card. I could not apply for WIC until I had proof that I had Medicaid, so I was stuck there as well. I tried calling my case worker every day, several times a day. The call would either go straight to voicemail, ring many times and then go to voicemail, or she would actually pick up the phone and HANG UP ON ME! This being my first pregnancy, I was very confused on what to do and afraid of how long this process would take--and if I would ever receive help at all! There were many tearful voicemails left on this woman's machine. DCF in Florida is a joke! I went online an looked at my case history for medicaid and foodstamps... hilarious. Month-by-month it would tell me case status. "Approved, not approved, not approved, approved, approved." Could the lady really just not make up her mind? I sent her everything she requested from me, and she still denied me one month for insufficient information. What?! I believe they make receiving help as difficult as possible for us so we will just give up.

I have been working non-stop since I was 17 years old, and now due to the economy I am struggling to find work. Even though I am 6 months pregnant, I am doing everything I can to find work. If you have been a hardworking, taxpaying citizen, the system should be available to you in times of need.

The Florida Department of Children and Families' ACCESS website should be disabled as well as the ACCESS toll-free number. It is at an expense to tax payers to maintain the website and the toll-free number and both, especially the ACCESS toll-free number, are practically useless. There is not any contact or email address on the website to assist one if you have a problem other than the listed ones. You can not reach a live person at all on the 800 number. This long-standing issue needs to be brought to the attention of our law makers as it is a gross misuse and mismanagment of tax payers dollars. I actual feel the the FDCF is intentionally making it as difficult as possible to receive assistance so that perhaps people will be discouraged and not apply or give up. I do not pop out babies every year to stay in the system, I don't sell my foodstamps for money or drugs, I'm just a single mom who's husband left and I'm trying to take care of my 2 children the best I can. I don't want help forever, I just need a little help right now. What in the world is wrong with our system!

Hey, well I am a mom and I have three kids. I have never gotten foodstamps from Florida and my husband has worked his whole life. We lived in Kentucky for awhile and when he got laid off there we got benefits immediately and we actually talked to someone in person none of this faxing and phone calling business. Florida is a big disappointment. They don't pick up and when you leave messages they never call back. These people shouldn't have these jobs since they don't do them. I have had all my information accpeted, except that my caseworker for a month hasn't updated my status. I don't know what to do.

i have to say how greatful I am for the previous post...they have helped me sooo much in my frustration of my stamps being cut off...i called the numbers that were posted and within an hour my case was solved and will recieve my stamps tomorrow! thank you Brian!

well i have a horror story also. i applied for food stamps and medical in september when i moved form Pennsylvania for my self and my 4 children. I received the stamps in oct but three of my children were denied medical.my 8 year old daughter and myself was approved
while my 17 year old pregnant daughter, 16 year old son and 6 year old son were denied. i spent the entire morning every day trying to find the reason why my children were denied for 4 months.
now my daughter is in her 3rd trimester and is uninsured. i finally talked to somebody that tells me i am missing income info from PA. i asked how can i be getting food stamps if i am missing info and re faxed the same info i faxed in september
and demanded my daughter a medical card and a legit reason for 4 months of the run a round only to get my food stamps to get completely off as a response. now i am a working class single parent that need help only until i get my work mans comp claim approved from PA. WE NEED HELP! i tried everything from talking directly to a worker, filing an appeal, calling the state complaint line. and no response from anybody
they will not let anybody file an appeal they kept telling me i will have a worker call you back to discuss the denial. UNBELIEVABLE! I AM GETTING NOWHERE!

My family and I moved to Florida six months ago. We were both unemployed at home in NY after our place of business burnt down and was not reopened. My husband works hard here and I'm a college eduated stay-at-home Mom because apparently a bachelor's degree doesn't get you a job anymore! I applied for food stamps 2 months ago and was denied because they didn't receive my husband's paystubs, although they received everything else that was faxed at the same time as the stubs. Ok fine, faxed them 3 more times before they were received, but apparently my case has never been reopened. I called in November hundreds of times and everyone I spoke to said my caseworker had 30 days and that I would know by December 5. Well, of course, December 5th has come and gone. I called that morning and spoke to someone who said it would be taken care of that afternoon and my online account would be active (it disappeared when I was denied for not having the paystubs) so I could check the status of my application. Fat chance! I've called 30 times already this morning in 30 minutes and cannot get through. These people need to start doing their job, better yet, I'll take their job!

I just got a denied on my foodstamps I'm a father of two kids on unemployment but, I don't qualify if I don't qualify who does. Then when you call up there all you get is please call back later All I got to say I hope you the State of Florida can sleep at night knowing you let us down. GO TO HELL!

i have had all these problems too. i have been hung up on, spoken very rudely to, not been told CORRECT information. everytime i call i get someone telling me something contrary to what i was told yesterday, by your fellow co-worker! getting thru is awful. if anybody here has dealt with the call center you know that the only best time to call is straight up 8am. i didn't have to wait but 5 min. when i asked to speak with a supervisor she said that it was a bit early and noone might be in thier office yet. are you kidding me! so by the time the get their happy [censor] in for the morning you cant even get thru to the call center! i waited once for 30 min to get a complaint number, she gave me a number that was dicconnected or no longer in service. so i called back and had to wait another 30 min. to get the correct number. i am not glad to see all these posts but i am glad that i am not the only one. i have been on f.s. on and off for 2 years after me and my husband lost our jobs- after working all of our lives. so i think we have paid enough into the system to pay for my kids food now when i need it. just because this is a state service does not mean we need to be treated badly. customer service should be a priority - not how rude can they be! i do believe that they do these things so that people will just give-up, because there are some that do. here are 2 customer complaint numbers i have gotten in the past few days. you will get a machine but someone does call back. i got a call back the next day. [protected] and [protected]. we have to keep complaining. altought i doubt it does any good.

**and to those of you who write in your nasty little comments about people on welfare, yes, there are those who live off the system and milk it for all it is worth, but there are many of us who have worked for 10, 20 years and have lost our jobs due to the economy. instead of telling people to get a job, which i would if there were any, why dont you say a little prayer for the kids who go hungry to to your states incompatance! and also pray that you dont ever lose your job so that you dont have to go thru what we do!

@Where is my help
There is no majority race having problems, the DCF is inept and useless across the board with no discrimination.

I am a single mother of 2 one of which is handicapped and lost my job October 16th 2010. I applied for foodstamps and still nothing. They say I need to submit my last 4 paystubs and I did that several times. In my account it says they received the papers and still no help. I finally just received my first unemployment check. I am starting to feel that if I was of another race or country I may have them by now. I am a white non hispanic female my worker is spanish. I would like to know what majority of races is having problems getting help.

I have had the same experience. I have never had assistance in my life, untill 6 months ago. My husband is in constuction, and work is little to none. We applied for our family and were approved, however, when it came time to re-apply, they asked for Proof of Child Support Payout. I tried to call them to say no one in our household pays out child support? No answer, busy, disconnected. Shall I go on. So I faxed a letter explaining as such. Wiated 3 more weeks, to be denied, the reason...They stated my 1 yr. old daughter did not meet citizenship requirements. Mind you she was born 5 minutes from the office. What a joke, as if you don't already hate having to ask for help, they make it as hard as possible, or even immpossible to get. Thanks fo rmothing FLORIDA!

It sucks that when you need help the most you are forced to put up with horrible attitudes, name calling and a system that is completely broken.

Here is what I've learned in the past 9 months of trying to navigate this awful system. If you need to speak to a real person here is what you do. Call [protected]. If it tells you everyone is busy and to call back, hang up and redial until the automated call system answers. Wait until the language options are over and press "2". Then press "2" again. You do NOT have to wait and listen to all your options and to all the crap about the website. Wait a minute and it will transfer you. At that point it will either hang up on you again or put you on hold. If it hangs up, you just have to repeat until you get put on hold.

Once you are on hold it generally takes 15-30 minutes to get a live person on the phone. If you are ready with your case number OR social security number and are polite they are generally polite back. Not always but most times. If you can't get someone on the phone and you need help go here http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/access/CPSLookup/search.aspx and look up your local community partner. It will give you the name and local phone number of someone in your area that should be able to help you. I had to go and talk to someone twice before my original application was approved. It took over 2 months of calling and faxing. Just keep with it.

OK, so I tried getting recertified cause my benefits expired. After going thru several people trying to get everything done in time, I got notification that I was denied. Now, today, I go online to make an income change and see if we qualify and see that someone there, not us, but someone there, quadrupled mine and my husbands income every two weeks, its no wonder we got denied. Can you spell SCAM!

So now the calling game begins again!UGGGGGGGGGG

I was denied food stamps. I was recieving them for like a year with no problem. They told my girlfriend to send in 4 pay stubs. SHE DID. And they are now saying she only sent in to.
I counted them there was 4. I dont really know how to track that sort of stuff down but its there word against ours. So now we have to go hungry for a month or 2 before we can even start
getting ebt again. I couldnt believe it. No one even called us to tell us this they just deny you. Is this where our tax payers money is going to? Our governor really needs to step up and have a chat
with the DCF cuz this is terrible.

I agree with a lot said DCF has no real point of contact and when they do answer no one is very helpful, they send you in the mulberry bush and then your issues are unresolved, it is sad they they are suppose to be there tp help the people and before you get help you get frustrated and furthermore there is a ctach to everything that is not stated to you when you do get benefits.

I agree. Florida's food stamp program is the worst I have ever seen. Poorly managed, and not maintained. You do not physically see anyone, you have no contact with a caseworker, let alone the name of your caseworker. When you call the ACCESS number, they cannot give you any information. You speak to NO ONE unless you go to the office, and the only face to face contact that you have is with the receptionist, who knows nothing as well. They have totally botched up my application. My last name is wrong! I havent used that name in almost 20 years! I know I filled out the application right. Do they have monkeys for caseworkers? I am totally peeved! The US Department of Agriculture runs the Food Stamp Program, and when I contact them...IF I CAN...they will get an ear full. I could be anyone...the office never asked for identification from any of my household members! We were eligible for emergency assistance, and it took over a month to receive ANY assistance! We received one month of assistance. When I call the toll free number to check my balance, (my food stamps were due on the 11th) they are not there. When I go on line, it states that my benefits are due on the 18th. Today is the 18th, and they are STILL NOT THERE! Any mail correspondence comes almost a week late. This is an abomination. I am a political science major, attending school, with a disabled son, and an unemployed spouse. There is plenty of room for fraud, which can cost the taxpayer dearly. I am certain that the US Department of Agriculture, who never intended to starve people with this program, would not think too highly of the way it is run here in Florida. While I don't think that Florida should be given any federal funding for this program, as it currently stands, I realize that it is dependent on their support. What a waste!

I totally agree with everyone . I applied last week and received benefits *expidited* only to keep receiving letters after letters stating that i missed this and that deadline when in all actuality I faxed everything to them with the exception of proof of loss of income because i havent worked for over a year and no longer stay in that state. I log onto my access && apparently they've received absolutely nothing :/ This is horrible my father received benefits in georgia and their customer service is outstanding . You can always reach your case worker which is the total opposite of florida dcf . I am extremely dissappointed as to how they handle their business . Its Ridiculous but I suggest that you call [protected] and ask them for the local number in your area. I got the local number for mine but just as the toll free number they're "busy" go freaking figure . . . hmmmm but i guess on the bright side its somewhat progress

I am a mother of four with Stage 4 Metastic Breast Cancer. I applied for food stamps last year and got them about a month later. This year, when time to recertify, I missed my deadline by one day because I was in the hospital. Because of that, they closed my case. That was in July. I requested a review and was told it would be thirty days. That was 67 days ago. This morning when I called, AGAIN, she told me to just reapply because no ones even looked at my review request yet. I started crying. I explained that literally, my children eat breakfast and lunch at school and I struggle every night just to provide them with dinner. She said there was nothing she could do, no supervisor I can contact but urged me to apply again. I should hear something in 30 days. Why is there NO ONE that can help me?

i appieled in auguest my 3 kids got food stamps but for me it says i dident met technical requirments and also that i have lump services what does that mean?

I have not read every complaint on this board but, ... I dont have to. I am a single mother of two and just moved to florida in march of 2010. I have accepted what i thought was going to be better job (and therefore better life) but, things are much more expensive here. Anyway, long story short, I have been waiting to get approved for foodstamps sind I moved down here... its now August, its been 5 months of fl dcf denying me... for different reasons everytime i call. one time the cs rep says you didnt give us the right paperwork so fax it and ill fix the account, so i do. then i call to verify they get the fax and a diff rep says, o we have the right paperwork from before it was our mistake, i fix the account. and then nothing changes. i have been able to get a hold of the customer service reps almost everytime since i figured out how. you have to call the toll free number and when the system starts giving you options press "2" then she will give you more options.. just dont press anything and it will transfer you to the cs dept. if i says they are busy and hangs up call back immediately and do the same thing. press "2" then wait. most of the time i only have to do this two or three times to get put on hold. there has been a few times where i had to keep calling about 10 times but got through eventually. when you do talk to someone... if its possible.. record the conversation.. if not get the persons id number and if they have to ask for a supervisor.. get their id number too. its a very frustrating system but i found the best way to stay on top is to call them every other day... we shouldnt have to but, if you want help you gotta be pro active. im still waiting to get foodstamps but i just sent in all the information they said i needed plus extra. i faxed it, sent it by usps, and i also sent the paperwork certified so they cant tell me they never got it (which was many of their excuses). i will be calling everyday to see if they got it and ask if its all that they needed AND I WILL BE RECORDING THE CALLS! i suggest you do the same