AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – As wait times have gotten lengthy, more than 100,000 callers each year to Texas’ abuse hotline are hanging up before reaching an operator.
The Austin American-Statesman reports the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is on track this year to exceed 180,000 abandoned calls to the agency’s abuse hotline, the most in at least a decade.
As of Tuesday, there had been 23 days this year in which a caller had been on hold for more than an hour; in the past, the agency has had one or two such days per year.
DFPS official Ric Zimmerman said they hope those who hang up either call back or do an online report.
The delays have come amid staffing cuts and a rise in call volume.
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