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QUESTION
What efforts are being made to address the delays in processing SNAP and cash assistance applications?
1:41:34
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The Mayor's Office of Operations acknowledges the crisis in processing SNAP and cash assistance applications, citing staff attrition, increased demand, and hiring efforts as key factors.
- The ops project management team is directly involved in addressing the backlog of applications.
- Staff attrition and an avalanche of new applications have contributed to the processing delays.
- Efforts include aggressive hiring, training, and deploying new staff, and implementing process improvements.
- Incremental progress has been noted, although there is acknowledgment of the need for more work.
- A comprehensive approach, including technology and legal strategies, is being utilized to improve the situation.
Lincoln Restler
1:41:34
I'd like to shift gears to perhaps one of the least surprising, but still incredibly one of the most disappointing indicators that was in the PMMR, and that relates to the processing of staff and cash assistance applications.
1:41:50
Recognizing that we've seen an increase in Snap and cash assistance applications.
1:41:55
We still found that only that only 40% of Snap applications and only 14% cash assistance applications are being processed on time.
1:42:04
This administration has failed to address the issue for nearly 2 years, despite litigation, despite multiple rounds of counsel oversight hearings, with agency leadership, from DSS.
1:42:17
This is just an enormously important issue.
1:42:19
You know, I I started my opening statement by highlighting the nearly 2,000,000 New York were living in poverty, the 1 in 4 children who were in poverty in New York, and were failing to get them the cash assistance and the food stamps that they are eligible for, that they deserve, that they need, to keep lights on, to keep themselves fed because we don't have the staff in place to do it.
1:42:39
It's just very, very disappointing.
1:42:45
Has the ops project management team been working on this and what have you been done doing to try and help address this crisis?
Dan Steinberg
1:42:51
They had been directly involved.
1:42:54
We knew this was a crisis before it was making headlines or the subject of lawsuits.
1:43:00
You know, our reports have been have been transparent about what's going on, that there is a combination of of more applications and avalanche of demand really for the reasons I mentioned before.
1:43:11
There there was a backlog of recertifications.
1:43:14
There was serious staff attrition.
1:43:16
In retirements following the pandemic.
1:43:18
And actually, those workers are not easily replaced because they they require some federal involvement.
1:43:25
And and so, you know, this unprecedented demand for benefits really did to some extent.
1:43:34
It was a perfect storm when you consider the staffing issues of the pandemic, and the data bears that out.
1:43:40
We're proud of the fact that the legal aid society in in their complaint cited the DMMR.
1:43:47
If you look at their lawsuit, they're relying on the data that we generate, and that's the reason the data exists is for the public to hold the city accountable.
1:43:56
The the first deputy mayor and deputy mayor have been directly and and very seriously involved in this issue.
1:44:04
Again, before it started generating headlines.
1:44:07
The chief efficiency officer is involved in this work.
1:44:12
It it really, you know, that that office does specialize in in sort of methods of process improvement, and this is one of those areas.
1:44:20
That was ripe for the for that skill set.
1:44:23
Obviously, the numbers have been incrementally improving as DSS continues to aggressively hire a train and redeploy staff.
1:44:33
There are a number of process improvements that are in motion, but we're probably not the best party to speak to them.
1:44:39
But it's been an it's all it's sort of using every lever possible.
1:44:43
It's it's hiring.
1:44:44
It's technology.
1:44:45
It's legal and operational strategies that that that DSS could describe in more detail.
1:44:53
But it's been a full on approach.
1:44:57
But clearly, there's more work here too.
Lincoln Restler
1:45:00
I mean, I will tell you in my years of having worked with the team at HRA.
1:45:05
I used to describe that agency as one of the most effective and nimble agencies in city government.
1:45:15
And, you know, when Lisa hits Patrick, the former HRA administrator testified before the council last year, she said never in her 40 years that HRA had they had so few staff.
1:45:25
And for what are primarily federally funded benefits, to not have for us to be failing, to have the staff in place to connect people to the resources that they deserve, It's just incredibly painful and disappointing.
1:45:40
And I get that it's not easy to fix these problems, in a with a a magic wand, but to see marginal improvement in over years, is a clear indication that this has not been prioritized and taken as seriously as it should be.
1:45:58
And for an issue of such magnitude that is hurting people so much.
1:46:03
I really, really hope that the mayor on down starts to to prioritize fixing this.
1:46:10
Much more seriously than has been demonstrated to date.