Tulsa Skyline OKDHS Office to become Call Center

OKLAHOMA CAPITOL -- Tulsa’s Skyline Office of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) will be closing to walk-in traffic effective October 1, 2011. It will become the Northern Oklahoma Support Center for “OKDHSLive!” beginning Nov. 1. 

“We will not be taking any new applications at that office as of October first,” said Kelly Johnson, OKDHS Area Six Director. “However, we will still have staff on hand to direct clients to other Tulsa-area offices if they need in-person service.”

Tulsa residents may still access services at two other office locations. OKDHS Office 72B is located at 3666 N. Peoria, while Office 72C is located at 444 S. Houston.

“We want to make sure everyone knows our clients still have access to quality services,” Johnson said. “The folks who work at the Skyline office will still be delivering benefits and services; they will just be doing it in a different format. Beginning Nov.1st, they will be handling information that comes in to the OKDHSLive! phone number and website—not just for Tulsa County, but for several surrounding counties as well.”

OKDHSLive! has been developed to increase accessibility to benefits and services through 24-hour web access. The website is open to individuals who currently have renewals for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as “food stamps”), child care, and medical assistance. 

“This website will help our customers at a time that’s convenient for them,” Johnson said. “There will no longer be a need to take off work or re-arrange their schedule to accommodate a visit to the office. Folks who have child care issues or transportation issues won’t have to worry about losing benefits if their personal schedules do not fit into an 8-5 work day. Those customers now have another avenue they can use to access OKDHS and receive benefits.”

Johnson said using the OKDHSLive! system is not mandatory, but simply an alternative to quality customer service. Currently the OKDHSLive! system has been approved for Northern Oklahoma (Tulsa), and Eastern Oklahoma (Muskogee) beginning November 1.  A Central Oklahoma (Oklahoma City) Support Center will be open in Spring, 2012.  Future sites in the western part of the state are being explored.

“As far as the Skyline office closure, we want our clients to know they can still access services in-person at the other two locations, and we look forward to enhancing our customer service through OKDHSLive!,” Johnson said.

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