KOKOMO, Ind. — A legislative study committee had hard questions and criticism Thursday for the Family and Social Services Administration over changes made to Indiana’s welfare system.

FSSA last year began rolling out the changes in a 12-county area including Kokomo, Marion, Muncie and Anderson and has since expanded them to 47 other counties. Under the changes, most state case workers became call center operators and clients no longer had a single county case worker supervising their cases.

FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob told lawmakers at the public hearing that the agency is working to improve the system and that he had representatives at the hearing there to help any clients with specific problems.

Committee chairman and House Ways and Means Chairman William Crawford, D-Indianapolis, said some people have been unable to access call centers without waiting for long periods of time. Crawford also mentioned a letter to the FSSA from the federal Food and Nutrition Service ordering the state to delay any further rollout of the welfare changes until it improved its timeliness in processing applications.

“In the rollout areas, there are complaints,” Crawford said, drawing applause from the crowd. “We want to assure the public that these programs are going to operate in a timely fashion.”

Sen. Sue Errington, D-Muncie, said some people must wait for hours or leave work early to wait for calls from the call centers. She said she’s heard complaints about the new system after since it was rolled out in her district.

“My legislative assistant and I are beginning to feel like case workers,” she told Roob. “We’re hearing from so many people.”

The state awarded a team of vendors led by IBM Corp. and Affiliated Computer Services Inc. a $1.16 billion, 10-year contract to process applications for Medicaid, food stamps and other public safety net benefits received by about 1.1 million children, seniors, people with disabilities and other needy Hoosiers. The deal introduced the call centers, the Internet and fax services as means to apply for benefits.

The changes, however, have come under fire from lawmakers, welfare clients and their advocates who claim the new system loses necessary documents, leaves telephone callers on hold for long periods, and other problems.

Steve Woodall, a former state case worker, went to work for ACS at the new system’s Marion call center for about a year until leaving his job last April.

“I’ve seen many, many things that are flawed with this system. I believe any client should be able to call in and talk to someone who has ultimate responsibility for their case, and this system does not provide that,” Woodall said.

Woodall was introduced by his brother-in-law, state Rep. Ron Herrell, D-Kokomo.

“My heart aches when I think about a business making these determinations for people who are the most vulnerable in this state,” Herrell said. “... It breaks my heart because these are people in need.”

FNS Regional Administrator Ollice Holden sent a letter dated June 23 to Roob ordering the state to delay any further rollout of the welfare changes until it improved its processing of food stamp applications.

“Indiana’s most recent monthly reports indicate a decline in the timeliness of application processing that has occurred in the pilot region since the transition to the modernized service delivery model. Indiana’s statewide application processing rate also continues to be a concern,” Holden said in the letter obtained this week by The Associated Press.