DSS warns SNAP eligibility changes will shrink caseloads; $9M in state childcare funds expected to restore slots

Sarah Merrick, commissioner of the county Department of Social Services, told the joint committees that recent federal policy changes will create volatility in SNAP and related programs and forecast a significant reduction in SNAP caseloads. "We were at 35,000. We're gonna be down in 30,000, even 28,000 cases," Merrick said when explaining the department’s expectation as new work requirements and citizenship categories take effect.

Merrick also announced a $9,000,000 state childcare allocation that she said should restore capacity for about 2,000 children and reopen the childcare assistance program after a prior wait list. The department stressed it will use technology (assisted language processing) to handle high application volumes and pointed to roughly 20–25 current vacancies across DSS. On Medicaid nursing‑home eligibility delays, Merrick and Deputy County Executive Anne Rooney said county staff must do exhaustive financial lookbacks and that delays are frequently caused by incomplete family‑supplied documentation rather than sheer staffing shortfalls.