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County welfare office credits tech upgrades and training for faster benefit processing
Summary
The director of Citizen Services said internal changes — a 'We Care' case‑tracking system, computer upgrades and a trainee hiring program — helped Essex County improve SNAP and Medicaid timeliness despite roughly 80 vacancies in the department.
Anibal Ramos Jr., director of the Department of Citizen Services, told commissioners that the county’s welfare operations have improved performance measures even while carrying significant vacancies.
Ramos said the department currently has about 82 vacancies but has reduced backlogs and improved SNAP timeliness to ‘‘over 90 percentile’’ through process changes, targeted hiring and technology. ‘‘We use an internal client information system called We Care,’’ Ramos said, describing the software as a ticketing and tracking tool that lets staff and clients see where a case is in the workflow.
Ramos said the department is experimenting with recruitment strategies allowed under state civil‑service rules, including family‑service‑worker trainees — a 12‑month working test period that creates a hiring pipeline when a civil‑service list is not available. He also highlighted productivity changes such as dual‑monitor setups in customer‑facing workstations and a new investment in office computers planned over a three‑year period.
Commissioners asked for more granular vacancy breakdowns; Ramos said clerical and family‑service worker titles make up the largest share of openings and that the department is using trainees, provisionals and outreach to recruit bilingual candidates.
The board did not take formal action; staff said they will return with more detailed vacancy and performance metrics if requested.
