Rhode Island’s Department of Human Services has submitted its corrective action plan to the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service. That’s what the federal agency required when it discovered a number of problems with Rhode Island’s new online benefits system, UHIP.

Excessive wait times and overcrowding in DHS field offices. Computer glitches. A lack of staff training on the new system. The problems got so bad with the state’s new system for food stamps and other benefits that the federal agency asked them to draw up an emergency plan to fix the problems.

The agency has now submitted that plan.

The priority is to fix the technical issues that affect the most customers first, and resolve the remaining glitches by the middle of next year. The agency also plans to retrain employees on the new system. And they’re realigning staff and services to reduce wait times and overcrowding in field offices. There’s still an application backlog. The action plan outlines how the agency plans to reduce that as well.

If DHS does not follow through, the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service could cut federal administrative funding for its programs.