Advocate says outdated technology is partly to blame for Arizona's drastic drop in SNAP recipients

After a recent report found that Arizona’s SNAP participation numbers have dropped by roughly 47%, the question is: Why?

Will Humble, the former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services and current executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, is pointing the finger at the Department of Economic Security, which administers SNAP, and its eligibility portal.

"It looks to me to be either administrative or technical with computers or both. And if we don't get this thing fixed, we're going to see it even get worse in a few months when the work requirements kick in for our Medicaid program called AHCCCS," Humble said.

The Governor’s Office blames the drop on changes that have been made at the federal level.

But even before that, about 5% of the DES workforce was laid off. And the agency has acknowledged its use of “1980s technology.”

A higher percentage of Arizonans have been knocked off food stamps since Congress approved HR 1 than any other state in the nation, according to the study.

The report by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities says participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dropped by 2.5 million nationwide since the federal law and its new requirements were enacted in July and December. That translates to about 6% using figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The study says more recent figures from the Arizona Department of Economic Security show a 47% decrease — a reduction of more than 400,000, including 180,000 children. Arizona had fewer than 490,000 SNAP recipients as of February.