Pennsylvania officials say a backlog of unsent state agency mail has grown to about 3.4 million letters after discovering that a government-contracted vendor failed to send a month’s worth of correspondence to residents.
The lapse, which occurred between Nov. 3 and Dec. 3, was traced to Harrisburg-based Capitol Presort Services. State officials said they terminated the contract after learning of the problem and secured a $1 million emergency contract with a new vendor to process and mail the delayed correspondence.
Earlier estimates put the number of unsent letters at 2.7 million, but the state revised the total upward this week as agencies completed reviews of affected mail. The largest share involved the Department of Human Services and the Department of Transportation.
According to state officials, about 1.7 million letters from the Department of Human Services were not delivered. Those letters included notices related to health benefits and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility, renewals, and requests for additional information. Also affected were administrative hearing notices that can determine eligibility for public benefits, appeals involving alleged elder abuse, approvals of new foster homes, and child abuse clearances.
State officials said some recipients may have received the same information electronically if they opted into email or text notifications. Child abuse clearances are also accessible online.
The mail delays coincided with the rollout of new federal SNAP work requirements scheduled to begin in December. State officials said the federal government will not count November toward the three-month implementation timeline, meaning SNAP eligibility determinations were not triggered during the period affected by the mail delay.
It remains unclear whether any residents lost benefits or missed deadlines due to the undelivered mail, or how many DHS hearings may have been postponed. Officials said they are continuing to assess the impact on residents who rely on timely communication for essential services.
Another 1.6 million undelivered letters came from the Department of Transportation. Those included driver’s license and vehicle registration renewal notices, license camera cards, vehicle registration cards, and address updates. Officials said driver’s license suspensions were not affected, and renewals are mailed months in advance, giving motorists additional time to respond.
The Department of General Services said the new vendor has now sent all delayed mail from both PennDOT and DHS and should arrive to residents within days.
Source: Phila. Inquirer