Greetings All -
I would like to announce the kickoff of our "Better Than Average!" campaign to improve our Food Stamp Program payment accuracy. I know that you've already put a lot of work toward this goal.

I have traveled to many of our offices lately and been impressed with the efforts underway to "scrub" cases, and build the quality of our casework. This gives me great confidence in our collective ability to achieve our campaign goal of having Alaska's Food Stamp error rate be under the national average.

There is some confusion with the online version of the Report of Claim Determination form (gen95). The form is currently under revision and a new version that will allow you to send it by email will be available soon.

The Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District Inc. has completed an analysis of the Peninsula's work force development and an action plan that identifies private-sector needs and job opportunities, the group said. The report concludes that trainers/educators and employers have not communicated well enough on how they can help each other.

The industries expected to grow most include health services; food, beverage and hospitality services; human services; construction and maintenance; information technology and transportation services, the report said.

The purpose of the LSIS program is to increase public confidence in assistance programs, reduce fraud that stigmatizes those who participate in such programs, deter fraud, and prevent duplicate participation. Finger imaging policy currently applies to applicants and recipients of food stamps and TANF. LSIS prevents duplicate participation by comparing the electronic finger images that are on file in the LSIS database and detecting any finger imaging matches. Potential applicants for assistance are informed about finger imaging requirements prior to application.

"When I first heard about the layoffs, I figured I might not be affected," said Diana Forslund, one of the 65 Agrium employees who lost their jobs in June. "But I prepared myself just in case."

What she decided to do was return to school using a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Workforce Investment Act to study to be a radiological technologist. Forslund said she learned about the grant when she met with state labor counselors at the Kenai Job Center.