Federal Court Orders Missouri to Take Remedial Action to Improve SNAP Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 8, 2025
CONTACT:
- Patrick Fowler, Communications Strategist, NCLEJ | fowler@nlcej.org
- Katie Deabler, Staff Attorney, NCLEJ | deabler@nclej.org
MISSOURI – This week, SNAP advocates secured another victory in their federal lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Social Services when a district court judge ordered the State to take remedial action to improve their dysfunctional SNAP program.
The Court orders the Missouri Department of Social Services to come into compliance with the SNAP Act, the Due Process Clause, and the ADA and outlines steps the agency must take under the Court’s supervision. Within 60 days, the agency must:
- Implement meaningful changes that make it easier for applicants to apply for SNAP, including providing for online, mobile, and mailed paper applications.
- Cease denying applications for failure to interview when the applicant has made reasonable attempts to complete the interview, and take steps to inform applicants of the interview requirement and the ways interviews can be completed, including the option to have a face-to-face interview and scheduling an interview.
- Reduce average call center wait times so that 90% of callers have no more than a 20 minute average wait time.
- Reduce the number of applications rejected for failure to interview to no more than 20% of all applications.
- Develop an ADA policy that ensures their SNAP program complies with the ADA.
“The Missouri DSS has created unnecessary and illegal barriers to obtaining SNAP benefits, and we are grateful the Court has once again vindicated the rights of low-income and disabled Missourians,” said Katie Deabler, Staff Attorney at NCLEJ. “We look forward to the implementation of much-needed fixes to ensure that eligible Missourians have access to the food benefits they need to survive.”
“We’re thrilled with this ruling, and we look forward to making food benefits more accessible to the hundreds of thousands who rely on SNAP,” said Andrew Scavotto, Partner at Stinson, LLP.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in February 2022 on behalf of Empower Missouri and two low-income Missourians against Robert Knodell, then Director of the State’s Department of Social Services. In May 2024, the Court entered Summary Judgement in the case, ruling that the State’s administration of SNAP violated federal SNAP law and the ADA.
The May 2025 order highlights that the State has not made meaningful progress to address their dysfunctional administration of SNAP since entering Summary Judgement in May 2024.
- Monthly reports filed by DSS showed that the State has made no progress in addressing call center wait times. In March 2025, the average wait time for the SNAP interview call center line was 49 minutes and 37 seconds. There were 50,488 queue deflections and 15,896 customer disconnects after an average wait time of 37 minutes and 11 seconds.
- A shocking 48.22% of SNAP applications were rejected solely for failure to complete the interview – caused by drops calls and long wait times – and not based on any other qualifying factor.
- DSS has not adopted an ADA policy or provided any draft of an ADA policy for review to the Court since entering Summary Judgement in May 2024.
The National Center for Law and Economic Justice is a legal nonprofit organization that advances racial and economic justice for low-income families, individuals, and communities across the country through ground-breaking impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. Founded in 1965, NCLEJ fights to protect access to critical benefits like food stamps, Medicaid, and childcare, protect low-wage workers’ rights and safety, advocates for the rights of people with disabilities, and fights unlawful debt collection.
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri provides free legal services to low-income Missourians in 21 counties of eastern Missouri, in order to improve lives, promote fairness, and create opportunities for those in need.
Stinson LLP is a full-service business law firm with nearly 450 attorneys who serve clients nationwide from its 12 offices in the Midwest, Mountain West, and Southwest, and in Washington, D.C. Specifically, Stinson provides a complete range of services to clients who need to interact with government at all levels, including businesses, trade associations, nonprofits, and citizens’ groups.
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