Service improving at Kent County DHS?

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) -- There have been complaints of slow service, delays and backlogs at the Department of Human Services for months.

But Tuesday, 24 Hour News 8 will start putting viewers' questions to the woman in charge of the Kent County office -- who said the department is doing a lot better.

"We're making really good progress," said Nancy Marshall, the department's acting director.

Last fall, the system was backlogged. Case worker and client frustration were at a breaking point. But there is improvement, Marshall said Monday.

New employees hired during the worst of the backlog are getting trained. Other workers are acclimating to a new computer system and building. The department's latest numbers indicate improvement.

In November, 46 percent of applications for help were processed on time. As of Jan. 30, 78 percent were handled promptly. In September, 190,000 phone calls came in to the switchboard -- and 20 percent were answered. In December, about 79 percent of 10,000 calls got through.

It's not perfect -- but it's an improvement.

"Finally, they hired a few new people and we could get rid of like, a hundred cases, and then it seemed to be a little bit of a relief but it's still so hard to get all the work done," said Sandy Myers, a case worker for DHS in Kent County.

She and her colleagues are adjusting to the new computer system that added slowness, she told 24 Hour News 8. The department still is working out bugs, and on some days, it's slower than it used to be.

"It kind of goes in spurts, where sometimes you feel your head's above water, other days you feel like you're drowning," Myers said. "Right now, I just wish that we had less cases."

She is one of the people who determines if someone is eligible for benefits. Myers felt the pressure especially when her caseload went from 350 to 705.

"It's hard because right now, you have so many people that everything is desperate," she said.

In Kent County, one in every four people are on some form of public assistance.

" ... I think that's the hard thing, is to be able to take care of everybody the way we would like to be taken care of," Myers said.

If you have a question for DHS, e-mail us at yourmoney@woodtv.com or post it on our Facebook page. 24 Hour News 8 will talk with a department representative every Tuesday for the remainder of February.

Remember to provide a phone number and good time to call.