The lawsuit alleges the state and Milwaukee County have illegally delayed or even denied food and health care benefits to the needy.
Pat DeLessio is Staff Attorney at Legal Action of Wisconsin, a public interest law firm working on behalf of 13 county residents. She claims there have been cases of working families receiving delays in food stamps for up to five months. She adds some disabled people did not receive medical care because their paperwork was not processed.
Milwaukee County officials say they implemented a new program in April that allows people to apply faster over the phone and online, but some bugs are still being worked out.
DeLessio says they've seen glimpses of this problem although not as "egregious" other counties. She attributes it to the expansion of Badgercare and economic slow down causing more families to seek food aid. All the while, she says, staffing has likely not caught up to the meet the demands.
