State Family Support Division call center hours expand

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As the coronavirus pandemic worsens, more and more people have found themselves struggling to put food on their families' tables, pay the rent or meet other obligations.

So the Missouri Department of Social Services Family Support Division's call center (at 855-373-4636) is expanding its hours.

It will temporarily operate seven days a week to handle the growing influx of calls from low-income Missourians who are seeking services.

Beginning last week, the hours changed to 6 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.

There are 10 call centers throughout the state, said Rebecca Woelfel, communications director for DSS. On average, 257 people staff them daily.

"The Family Support Division Call Center can answer any program question and process most cases to final eligibility determination," she told the News Tribune in an email.

The center averaged about 8,700 calls daily from December through February, Woelfel said.

"Many Missourians are turning to the Family Support Division for the very first time in their life and need information and guidance on how DSS helps low-income families," DSS acting Director Jennifer Tidball said in a news release. "The fastest way to find basic information about Food Stamp, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Child Care Subsidy benefits and who may qualify is to visit the DSS website."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service has just approved the Family Support Division's waiver request to temporarily suspend Food Stamp telephone interviews.

The interviews may be time-consuming, Woelfel said.

"Food Stamp interviews are a federal requirement to determine eligibility for the Food Stamp program," she said. "The interviews involved conversations with the applicant about their household and income situations, in addition to getting information from their application. The waiver reduces processing time for applicants in need of Food Stamp benefits."

The temporary suspension of Food Stamp interviews should boost Family Support's ability to focus on assisting Missourians who now need services, Gov. Mike Parson said in the release. The changes will help low-income Missourians connect with the services they need.

Applicants can apply for services through the internet any time of day. Fill out an application form online or download and send a completed application and the necessary documents by email or fax. First-time applicants who may be unfamiliar with the eligibility criteria for Food Stamp, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or Child Care Subsidy benefit programs need to keep in mind these programs are for low-income Missourians and some household incomes may still be too high to qualify, despite a family member's job loss.

Missourians can apply for services online by visiting mydss.mo.gov or sending completed applications and verification documents by email to [email protected] or by fax to 573-526-9400.

Information regarding DSS's response to the pandemic is available at dss.mo.gov/covid-19.