I must disagree with Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Albert Hawkins on a number of issues raised in his comment "New benefit system suits more Texans" (May 31).

I do not know which citizens participated in the study Hawkins referred to who said they would be interested in applying for services by phone and outside normal work hours. But those who have contacted my office on this issue have overwhelmingly opposed the privatization plan put forth by Gov. Rick Perry and the Legislature. They do not want a call center as the only venue for families to get the help they need.
Yet, for the sake of argument, if these families want HHSC offices open after business hours, I still do not understand how this justifies revamping the entire system. Why couldn't the state adjust benefit office hours or have a call center supplement staffed offices?

Additionally, as noted in the letter Reps. Lloyd Doggett, Chet Edwards, Al Green and I sent to state leaders, given the efficiency of the state office employees, why fix what is not broken?

Given the complexities of these programs, we need trained, experienced staff helping people in need. Therefore, it makes little sense to bring in an outside company that has employees unfamiliar with these programs.

Face-to-face interaction is still more efficient than talking to a call center. Many people may have language or communication barriers and will have difficulty trying to find their way through the maze of the automated menu. Moreover, for our seniors, a staffed office will undoubtedly be more effective than waiting on hold for a call center employee.

When Hawkins claimed that HHSC will maintain 200 offices across Texas, how does that compare with the current number of offices? How far will residents in rural counties have to travel to visit a staffed office if face-to-face interactions are their preference?

I am not opposed to instituting new methods of delivering better service to constituents and investigating ways to save money. But "upgrading" should not come at the expense of children losing their health care coverage or a family having food taken off their table.

Persistent reports indicate the call center staff was poorly trained and employees' performance during calls and processing applications was substandard, which resulted in numerous people in real need being purged from the rolls.

The Center for Public Policy Priorities published a report on Accenture's efficiency, and a weekly status report showed that as of March 26, 39 percent of calls were abandoned and callers were on hold for an average of 22 minutes. This is never acceptable.

At a time when federal dollars for these programs are becoming scarcer, we need to make sure that efficacy is the paramount consideration.
Any restructuring should put the interests of the neediest in our community before other considerations.

U.S. Rep. Charles Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, represents the 20th Congressional District.