Special mtg Tues @ 9 AM to discuss access recommendations to DTA, updated Added Benefits of SNAP fliers

10/04/24

DTA’s fax line is back up and running! Please let me know of any issues. 

Special Zoom meeting: Tuesday 9-10 AM to discuss recommendations for households trying to get help from DTA

We continue to hear from many partners and clients that it has been difficult, sometimes very difficult, to reach DTA. Here are MLRI’s Advocacy Tips on how to get help. 

 

At our last Coalition meeting, we discussed sharing recommendations on areas where we see DTA could make changes that would help. Based on what we have heard from you all, MLRI has a short list of key areas we urge DTA to focus on (below). We think it is critical and impactful to hear from you all what you are seeing and what you would recommend!

 

With that in mind, we thought it might be useful to have a special one hour conversation for community partners to discuss. Since this is a pressing issue, we scheduled a Zoom for Tuesday, October 8 from 9-10 AM. Here is a zoom registration (so I can get a sense of your initial thoughts, if you have any!). See you then! And, we know this is last minute - more conversations to come on this if you can't make it on Tuesday, including at our next regular Coalition meeting on Tuesday, October 22.

 

Here are some of the top areas where we think DTA improvements would make a big difference. We would love to hear your thoughts! 

 

  • Improve the IVR (the system folks navigate when they call the Assistance Line, 877-382-2363) to:

    • Improve the automated information that is shared to address more of the reasons why people call. 

    • Provide information about phone applications, with the goal of significantly increasing the percent of applications filed by phone. 

      • Phone applications involve less back and forth and are much more likely to result in an application being approved (largely because the interview is done at the same time as the application). 70% of phone applications are approved - versus 45% of online applications and MassHealth checkbox applications. But, for the past year, only 4-6% of applications were done by phone.  

  • Improve the current case-specific text messages that go out. 

  • Improve communication with households who send in proof documents that do not meet what DTA needs. 

  • Address ways that DTA Connect does not address the concerns people have that cause them to call. 

Updated Added Benefits of SNAP fliers - 5 languages 

We updated our fliers on the Added Benefits of SNAP to include the new MBTA income-eligible reduced fares, posted here in 5 languages.