A glitch in computer procedures prevented many financial aid recipients from being able to access their monthly financial allotment on the first of the month, but funds will be available Friday morning, according to the Department of Human Services.
Those affected include recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Old Age Assistance, Aid to the Disabled and Aid to the Blind, said DHS Commissioner Chris Finch in a statement.
Reached by phone Thursday afternoon, Finch said the glitch was the result of human error in one of Human Services’ offices, which prevented the debit cards from being reloaded with funds for today. Even though the process is now computerized, there are a series of steps that must be taken each month in order to deposit and make the funds available, he said.
"Those steps can only be done on the last day of the month," he said. Because the mistake was made the day before payments were due, a one-day delay was unavoidable. About 500 families, totaling roughly 2,000 people are affected, he said.
Fortunately people in the office saw the problem and jumped up to take care of it," he said. "Otherwise payments might have been held up until after the weekend. Of course, we take full responsibility and apologize for the inconvenience."
