In November 2023, the U. S. Department of Agriculture informed state officials that Georgia was “severely out of compliance” with SNAP application processing times. A report highlighted problems like a mismanaged application prioritization, insufficient staff for 52,000 backlogged applications, and lack of a system to reassign applications.  Little has improved over the past year.

Georgia’s public benefits system faces major challenges, including a faulty website, staff shortages, and ongoing technology issues, which have been highlighted by consumer advocacy groups and former state employees. Since the launch of the “Georgia Pathways to Coverage” Medicaid work requirement program in July 2023, processing times for Medicaid applications have increased significantly, with many applicants waiting over a month and a half. This has made Georgia one of the slowest states for processing income-based applications. Only 5,542 residents have enrolled in the Pathways program, which could cover almost 300,000 individuals if Medicaid were expanded. Administrative costs are high, and extensive manual checks delay benefits access.

Critics suggest that more investment in the public benefits system is needed to address these problems effectively.