PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island officials say thousands more people than previously disclosed are caught in an application backlog for benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid.
The Providence Journal reports Courtney Hawkins, director of the Department of Human Services, released new data from the contractor responsible for the state’s troubled RI Bridges computer system on Thursday. She says they now believe there are more than 7,300 pending applications, more than 4,300 of which are overdue.
That’s significantly higher than in September, when the state said there were over 3,700 pending applications, 2,300 of which were overdue. The state says more than 1,000 applications haven’t been entered yet.
RI Bridges, also known as the Unified Health Infrastructure Project, or UHIP, has been plagued with problems since the state began using it last year.
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