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Outdated systems, federal changes strain human services in Stearns County

On April 1, Stearns County Human Services staff demonstrated how outdated technology and new federal requirements collide to strain an already overburdened public assistance program.
Staff must navigate the text-based Maxis platform, a 40-year-old system with no mouse functionality, requiring workers to tab through more than 70 panels per complex application.
The federal "One Big Beautiful Bill," or HR-1, adds stricter verification and six-month eligibility renewals for Medicaid recipients, compounding a 40% increase in assistance requests Stearns County experienced over four years.
Stearns County Human Services Administrator Melissa Huberty said staff retention suffers because "every day they work with people having their worst day," while the agency fields over 30,000 monthly benefit calls.
Officials set aside $1 million in the 2026 budget for potential cost spikes, though Stearns County Commissioner Tarryl Clark noted that state-run system limits and funding gaps hinder local efficiency improvements.

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Outdated systems, federal changes strain human services in Stearns County

WAITE PARK, Minn. — What should be a routine process — helping residents access food, medical care and financial assistance — can take more than an hour for a single application in Stearns County. During a live demonstration at the Stearns County license center on April 1, human services supervisors and staff showed elected officials how outdated technology and new federal requirements are colliding to strain an already overburdened human servic…

2 days ago·Cherokee County, United States

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