Pregnant Woman Gets Runaround After Applying For SNAP Benefits To Make Ends Meet
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A pregnant woman in need went to two state offices, but failed to get any help.
She told CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov she is left her without access to her food benefits and wondering when, or if, she'll ever get them.
27-year-old Rebecca Komperda just finished nursing school. She's six months pregnant and works as a part-time caregiver. Her pay is not enough to make ends meet.
So, she applied for state SNAP benefits -- to pay for food.
Komperda says her application was approved Dec. 31 at an Illinois Deptartment of Human Services office at 53rd and Western. She was told her new card would arrive in about a week.
When it didn't and calling DHS got her nowhere she went back to the Western Avenue office on Tuesday and found it closed. Komperda took a bus to the next nearest DHS office a couple of miles away. But she says a caseworker couldn't help her.
"She was able to pull the case number, so she had some information'' but the worker told her only somebody from the original office could handle the case, Komperda said.
An Illinois Department of Human Services spokesperson isn't sure why Komperda's SNAP screw-up occurred, adding it shouldn't have.
In the meantime, Komperda is left in limbo, wondering if this is happening to others, too.
The DHS spokesperson says this office was closed Tuesday due to a plumbing emergency and will remain closed for at least another week.
She is looking into Komperda's situation but couldn't say whether others experienced the same problem.