Government
Overworked caseworkers report threats, frustrations
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By QUINCY HODGES
Capital News Service
LANSING – Rising numbers of welfare, food stamp and Medicaid clients are causing state workers to struggle with caseloads and recipients to become frustrated. One result is a growing number of threats, employees of the Department of Human Services (DHS) testified at legislative hearing. They said they are overwhelmed, and some of the people seeking help are taking out their frustrations over delays and lack of attention on workers. Many of the 83 DHS field offices are swamped with clients, making it highly possible that paperwork goes missing or some money isn’t managed correctly, said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit. DHS reports an average of about 700 cases per worker in its field offices.