A project to speed state benefits to the poor for food, clothing and shelter while detecting fraud and errors has been mired in delays and cost overruns for seven years.
So far, the technology upgrade known as the Benefits Eligibility Solution has not helped anyone, a Civil Beat investigation found, even as the cost of the contract to develop it and maintain a related system has ballooned from $69 million to $124 million — and counting.
The Department of Human Services has long touted the new eligibility system as the answer to an antiquated system, one in place for four decades. It would automate tasks now done manually, allow the state’s many welfare programs to “talk” by sharing data and give Hawaiʻi residents an online self-service portal to apply for benefits…