FYI: The Human Resources Administration’s food stamp offices remain in disarray, making it difficult for applicants to sign up for the federally-funded benefit, according to a City Council report released this weekend. The study, conducted between June and September this summer, was a follow up on one delivered to the Council in December. This latest study found little had changed since then, when HRA promised to clear up problems. Seven of 40 food stamp sites HRA lists publicly are incorrect; eight of the remaining were unable to provide applications to investigators posing as applicants and nine had no written information available at all. At 17 sites, investigators were illegally asked personal information while trying to get applications and on three occasions were given applications that violated state rules intended to keep the process simple and streamlined. The result, the Council report charges, is that around 800,000 people eligible to get food stamps in the city aren’t doing so. [9/23/03]