For Immediate Release December 19, 2013 LINCOLN — Today, the ACCESS Nebraska Working Group, a collection of advocates, community partners, and stakeholders, issued a statement of principles to be used as a guide to improve the troubled ACCESS Nebraska system. Yesterday, the Legislative Performance Audit Office released findings that highlighted severe flaws in the ACCESS […]
When the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) started the initiative called ACCESS Nebraska, the goal was to modernize service delivery in public programs by moving to a system with increased reliance on technology and fewer personal caseworkers. But, since its creation, clients have experienced many problems with the new system, including lost documents,
LB 309: Creating a more efficient public service delivery system Read More »
Tuesday, the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee held an interim study on the progress made by ACCESS Nebraska, the state’s new public benefit delivery system. ACCESS Nebraska was designed to modernize the public benefits system and improve efficiency, but there have been many problems that have occurred as a result of the transition. At
Crucial improvements necessary for ACCESS Nebraska system Read More »
The Lincoln Journal Star discussed ACCESSNebraska in a staff editorial that ran in Wednesday’s paper. Nebraska Appleseed joins the Journal Star in calling for greater efficiency and accountability in providing these essential services that so many of our lowest-income Nebraskans depend on.
Lincoln Journal Star Editorial Calls for Greater Efficiency in ACCESSNebraska Read More »
Nebraska Appleseed has been watching carefully the implementation of ACCESS Nebraska, our state’s new way of managing public assistance programs like food stamps and Medicaid. Some of you may be wondering: how is it going? This article from the Omaha World Herald provides an update on ACCESS Nebraska from multiple perspectives: “Nebraska’s Food Stamp Errors
ACCESS Nebraska Update Read More »
Here at Nebraska Appleseed, we have heard a lot about ACCESS Nebraska, the new system for managing Health and Human Services programs using on-line applications and call centers instead of caseworkers. We’ve heard from intake callers, folks who participated in listening sessions this fall, and people who testified at the interim study hearing and bill
Time, Patience, Justice Read More »
On February 1, the Health and Human Services Committee held a hearing on LB 1041 and LB 1016. Both of these bills are intended to address problems with the ACCESS Nebraska system. Appleseed supports both of these bills. LB 1041 would streamline HHS systems to make them more efficient and effective for everyone. LB 1016
Improve Service Delivery and Efficiency in the Department of Health & Human Services Read More »
We all know that a lower income means more struggles for families. Families with greater economic resources are not only able to better provide important inputs into their children’s development such as nutritious meals, safe neighborhoods, and higher-quality educations, but higher incomes have also been shown to improve parent’s psychological well-being and parental interactions with
Public Assistance Programs DO Matter for Kids and Families Read More »
Nebraska Appleseed has used the tag line “Core Values, Common Ground, Equal Justice” for a long time. We look to these central principles in a variety of ways about a variety of issues. Last Thursday, our own Becky Gould testified regarding ACCESS Nebraska – our state’s on-line application system for public benefits programs. And, in