Monday, local staff members are going to address the Scurry County commissioners court to ask for its help to keep it open.
The closures would be part of Texas House Bill 2292 which proponents say is designed to save the state $389 million and make applying for government assistance easier and more efficient. The changes could put 4,500 DHS employees out of work by closing 217 DHS offices.
According to Luann Grice, of the Snyder DHS office, 10 employees at the local office could lose their jobs.
State officials feel that closing the offices will be more efficient because those applying for benefits will be able to do so on the Internet, by phone, fax or by mail. Grice and other opponents to the plan think the change will leave a lot of those that are now being served without help.
“If you close this office, some people will have to go to the library to use the Internet, or call on the phone, which some of our clients don’t have, or go out of town to another office,” Grice said. “Some of them can’t, or won’t do that so if they become ill they end up at Cogdell Hospital and they are right back on county indigent care.”
She said not every person that now works in the office would be affected, but the people with the food stamp program, Medicaid and long term care would be.
She said that almost everyone in her office will be at the commissioners’ court meeting Monday.
“They won’t all speak but they will be there to show their support,” said Grice.
She said the 1,628 families on food stamps and 1,300 households on Medicaid in Scurry County could also be affected.
The commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. in the county courtroom on the third floor of the courthouse.