Lawyers are trading arguments in a case challenging the state’s failure to process applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on time.
The case dates back to 2023. The number of Alaskans caught in the SNAP backlog has dropped by roughly 75% since plaintiffs filed the class action lawsuit, but the backlog still hovers around 4,000 as the state’s struggle to process applications on time has continued.
Saima Akhtar with the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said her team is asking the court to rule that Alaska’s SNAP system violates low-income Alaskans’ rights.
"The first step is essentially the court assessing whether or not the facts as they are laid out in the record constitute a legal violation," she said. "And then after that, the question would be, what's the fix?"
Lawsuits like this have helped in other states, Akhtar said.
"There are a number of states where there has been litigation and there has been a resolution that led to processing improvements," she said in a phone interview.
Akhtar and her team obtained a preliminary injunction in the case last year requiring the state to report on its progress as it works to catch up on the backlog. It’s possible that could be converted to a permanent injunction.
State attorneys have filed a variety of arguments asking the court to decide the case in their favor. In one filing, state attorneys say that a recent U.S. Supreme Court case means that private individuals shouldn’t have a right to sue over the state’s failure to meet deadlines in federal law. In others, state attorneys say many of the issues highlighted in the suit have been resolved.
A Department of Law spokesperson said attorneys are reviewing the recent filings.
A decision isn’t expected for months. In the meantime, Akhtar says people struggling to access SNAP or other benefits can contact Alaska Legal Services for help.
