PHHS presents Cook County SNAP, MFIP and assistance program caseloads and year‑to‑date payments; staff warn of staffing pressure

Cook County Public Health Human Services staff presented a comparison of county and state caseloads and payments for major economic assistance programs during the Sept. 16 board meeting, showing lower absolute totals in the county but noting possible pressure on personnel and county budgets if federal program rules increase administrative work.

Plomin (PHHS staff) summarized the department’s fiscal exposure and caseloads, saying the department has “$9,897,000 in payroll or personnel expenses for economic assistance for the entire 2025.” He presented a line‑by‑line comparison to Minnesota totals to show the county’s share of statewide activity.

Key figures cited and local context

- SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program): Cook County averaged 124 cases per month in 2025, representing 213 people (some cases cover multi‑person households). Plomin reported year‑to‑date SNAP benefit payments in Cook County of $249,000 through August, compared with state year‑to‑date payments of $493 million. The average monthly payment per case in Cook County was $251; state average was $289 per case.

- General Assistance and MSA (Minnesota Supplemental Aid): Year‑to‑date payments and per‑case averages were presented; Plomin noted that for some programs Cook County averages exceeded the state average and for others they were lower (for example, Cook County MSA averages were lower than state averages, which Plomin attributed to a small number of direct $81 payments and fewer supplemental housing payments locally).

- MFIP (Minnesota Family Investment Program): State count is in the tens of thousands while Cook County had 10 average monthly cases; year‑to‑date payments and average payments per case were also presented.

Staffing, systems and eligibility contexts

Presenters and commissioners connected the caseloads to staffing and eligibility system concerns. Plomin and Dagmarah Smith (economic assistance supervisor) emphasized that federal changes to SNAP and Medicaid will likely increase the county’s workload for renewals, verifications and interviews. Commissioners commented that county demographics (a higher share of older adults in some parts of Cook County) affect program participation and that comparisons to other similar counties would help put the numbers in context.

Commissioner Frank urged staff to provide clarity about the relationship between county payroll and the county‑administered assistance funds, and Plomin said the larger payroll figure reflects staff who administer programs for federal and state funds rather than county‑paid direct client payments (those are accounted separately in the budget).

Staff noted data sources: Plomin said the numbers come from the Maxis centralized eligibility system, and the presenters offered to provide more detailed breakdowns by demographic and by comparable counties to help commissioners during budget deliberations.

Board takeaway

PHHS staff recommended the board use these figures when considering staffing and budget decisions and offered to supply further comparative data and documentation to the commissioners. Multiple commissioners urged the county to press the state for modernized eligibility systems to reduce administrative burden and error rates.