ALT But data reported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture by the Arizona Department of Economic Security — obtained by KJZZ through a public records request — supports claims from applicants who said the state has made it nearly impossible to have their SNAP eligibility verified by DES. DES’s internal records show that of all calls to the agency between October 2024 and March 2026, only 13% resulted in a completed interview with applicants — that’s nearly nine in 10 calls that were abandoned, dropped or otherwise incomplete. The agency also reported itself at fault for dropping 3,087,29 calls in that same time period, due to “call center error” and “lack of call center capacity.” During that time, DES denied applications for 54.5% applicants because they failed to complete required eligibility interviews within 30 days. The same goes for Arizonans attempting to recertify their benefits — 53.7% were denied for failure to complete their interview.