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Discussion on DSS vacancy rates, budget cuts, and application processing times
1:55:03
ยท
3 min
Council Member Restler raises concerns about DSS vacancy rates, budget cuts, and their impact on processing times for cash assistance and SNAP applications. Commissioner Park provides updates on current processing rates and improvement efforts.
- DSS has a 10.3% vacancy rate, with an additional 1,600 positions cut since the start of the Adams administration
- January processing rates: 71.7% for cash assistance and 91.3% for SNAP applications
- Improvements attributed to investments in technology, process changes, and state waivers
- OMB has exempted frontline cash and SNAP positions from the one-for-two hiring policy
- Ongoing efforts to improve processing times, with challenges due to increased caseloads and application volumes
Lincoln Restler
1:55:03
Okay.
1:55:03
Chair might I have one more question?
1:55:05
Thank you so much.
1:55:07
I recently read an IBO report that DSS has a 10.3% vacancy rate if that number is still up to date.
1:55:15
But that number really is misleading because since the start of the Adams administration, OMB has slashed 1,600 positions, over 1,500 positions, fifteen twenty five positions from the DSS headcount, eliminated them altogether.
1:55:32
So that's another 10% of headcount.
1:55:34
So really we're looking at a 10% vacancy rate plus 10% of of headcount is gone as a result of of just extraordinary OMB budget cuts.
1:55:42
And while I do appreciate that the team at DSS has tried hard to do the best you can with limited resources and limited headcount to improve food stamp and cash assistance processing timelines relative to where they were at the nadir of this administration, they're still far below what we all want.
1:56:03
We're still only at 53% of cash assistance applications and 83% of food stamps applications being processed on time, way short of the 90 to 95% rates that we were consistently at prior to the pandemic.
1:56:17
So just what is the plan for how we get back to actually processing?
1:56:21
I know the caseloads have increased, but how are we going to start processing 90 to 95% of applicants in a timely fashion again?
Molly Wasow Park
1:56:28
So let me give you the January numbers which are better.
1:56:31
The cash timeliness rate is 71.7 and SNAP is 91.3.
1:56:37
So we are absolutely headed in the right direction.
1:56:41
And I should note that it's also never going to get to 100% because in some instances clients will call in for their interview on day 27, day 28, things like that, which is their right but at that point their case is probably not going to be processed by day 30.
1:57:01
We also, as a matter of policy, will give extensions to people to collect documents and things like that.
1:57:08
We think that is a better policy for everybody involved than cutting their case off, but it does mean that cases extend beyond day 30 for that reason.
1:57:19
But I think all of the investments that we put into place in order to clear the cash and snap backlogs will really stand us in good stead.
1:57:28
We invested in significant technology.
1:57:31
We changed processes.
1:57:33
We're able to get waivers from the state.
1:57:35
And so even though applications are really, and particularly on cash assistance, are at historic highs, we've been able to maintain and keep up with the volume of requests.
1:57:48
So I feel like we are in relatively good shape going forward.
1:57:53
I will also say that Umbi has been a particularly strong partner with respect to hiring for cash and snap.
1:57:59
Those frontline positions have been exempted from the one for two policy, and we've been able to maintain the headcount.
Lincoln Restler
1:58:07
I think that's in part a result of the fact that Cherry Ayala, council member Stevens, myself, and many others have been so loud on this issue and pushed so much and got so much attention around it that OMB had no choice but to make an exception.
1:58:19
And I'm sure you were pushing inside as well, although you probably did it less aggressively than we did.
1:58:25
Do you have a timeline on the cache assistance for when you think we can get back to processing those applications, 90% to 95% of those applications in a one month period?