VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — For more than a year, Channel 9 has reported on problems with the website millions of Floridians depend on for benefits like food stamps and medical coverage.
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From the website repeatedly down for maintenance, to tech glitches, and documents disappearing after they’ve been uploaded, Floridians have told us they’ve been battling to get their benefits.
Channel 9 spoke with Jodie Martinez, a cancer patient who is battling multiple Myeloma and a growing stack of medical bills.
She receives both Medicare and Medicaid, with Florida’s Medicaid program set to cover some of her expensive treatment costs.
Instead, she told Channel 9 she’s getting calls from debt collectors because of issues with the MyAccess Portal: the state-run application system for Medicaid and SNAP recipients.
When Martinez looks at her records in the MyAccess portal, it shows she’s medically needy meaning Medicaid should cover a share of her medical costs so long as she meets a billing minimum. Still, when providers look at their systems, they see something different.
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For months Martinez had gone to Access centers for in-person help to address the discrepancy and try to get medical bills submitted to Medicaid for payment. DCF workers there told her to upload her bills through the state website.
Martinez said she repeatedly uploaded bills, but despite the MyAccess portal showing those records were uploaded, she was told again and again by DCF workers that they couldn’t see her documents.
She even tried faxing in her bills, but the problems persisted.
And when Martinez called for help she faced constant “busy” or “disconnecting” phone lines.
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“It feels like the system is made for people to get exhausted,” said Martinez, “that’s where people just give up.”
Lynn Hearn is the Attorney and Advocacy Director with the Florida Health Justice Project who helps people navigate the complex Medicaid system.
She told Channel 9 there is often a lag time between when updates are made to a beneficiaries’ account and when providers see the updates in their systems, “this is a common, ongoing problem,” said Hearn.
She told Channel 9 that Martinez is among hundreds in the state who have struggled with glitches and other issues with the MyAccess system.
“Unfortunately, I am not seeing any signs of a systemic fix in the works and certainly that’s what we want to get,” said Hearn.
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9 Investigates has been trying to get answers about perpetual issues with the MyAccess portal, sharing story after story of Floridians battling for benefits or not being able to get them in the first place.
Families have told Channel 9 they’ve gone hungry waiting for SNAP which uses the same portal.
“I need the assistance and it’s like pulling teeth,” said one Orange County mother.
Channel 9 tried to ask Governor Ron DeSantis about the issues during a January news conference, but the Governor left without answering Channel 9s questions on the topic.
However, following the press conference, a spokesman for DeSantis called Channel 9 telling a 9 Investigates reporter, “I have heard about this and I have heard about some legitimate issues. Some aren’t though.”
Instead of elaborating the Spokesperson referred Channel 9 to DCF who declined 9 Investigates repeated requests for an interview.
DCF instead sent the statement blaming “users” for the errors and saying the MyAccess system works 99.7 percent of the time. You can see the statement in its entirety below.
“There are no systematic issues with the MyAccess portal. Since its launch, over 5.8 million applications have been processed, and more than 3.7 million client accounts have been created, demonstrating that the system is functioning effectively. We have also made several improvements to enhance the user experience, including:
- Reducing the average time to complete an application from 60 minutes to 30 minutes.
- Introducing mobile features that allow applicants to complete applications and manage their benefits through smartphones or tablets; over 65% of all interactions are now conducted on mobile devices.
- Tripling the monthly usage of portal document uploads from 200,000 to 600,000.
- Achieving an average application processing time of 20 days, well below the federal standard.
Additionally, the average wait time at our call center is less than 15 minutes.
Routine maintenance is a normal part of any technology system, and any system downtime is used for these regularly scheduled operations. Our overall system uptime is 99.7%.
The new portal’s technology, functionality, and effectiveness are significantly improved compared to the outdated system it replaced. As with any new system, user errors can lead to frustrations; we have developed several user guides and videos to assist applicants in navigating the portal.
Beyond the MyAccess portal, there are many ways to apply for public assistance within the Department, including at one of the Department of Children and Families community partners, at our customer service centers, or by completing a paper application.”
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