Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Human Services Benefits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County officials say DFAB cleared backlog, improved SNAP timeliness but recertifications remain a challenge
Summary
Director Ramos said DFAB eliminated a backlog of about 16,000 welfare applications and raised SNAP timeliness from under 20% to roughly 55–60% by December 2024, but said recertifications remain a weak point.
Director Ramos told the board the Division of Family Assistance and Benefits (DFAB) made measurable gains in 2024 on timeliness and backlog while continuing to manage very high ongoing demand for benefits.
Ramos said SNAP (food-stamp) timeliness improved from below 20% in late 2023 to about 55–60% by December 2024. The department eliminated a backlog of roughly 16,000 new applications during 2024, he said, while noting new applications continue to arrive at a heavy rate — about 1,800 per week via the state's NJHelps portal at peak.
To address document and processing bottlenecks, DFAB centralized document intake, consolidated materials from an offsite warehouse and reorganized operations to avoid duplicated entry points. Ramos said those changes reduced missing-document delays and improved throughput.
Ramos and his staff identified SNAP recertifications as the most persistent challenge: clients sometimes miss calls or mistake the county's automated caller for spam. DFAB has begun using text-message prompts and is reviewing additional steps to improve recertification rates.
Ramos also described the division's broader portfolio — child-support administration, Medicaid enrollment, TANF/cash assistance and general-assistance programs — and noted that several county-run services are 100% grant-funded. He said senior-services county-match positions remain limited to what the grant requires.
Ending: Commissioners praised DFAB for clearing the backlog and asked the director to continue reporting performance metrics and to keep the board updated about potential federal-grant interruptions that could affect program operations.
