Burke County DSS outlines caseload shifts and prepares for state MOU under Ryland’s law

Corey Fischer Wellman, director of Burke County Department of Social Services, told county commissioners on June 1 the department is working through staffing changes while meeting core service outcomes and preparing to comply with a new state MOU tied to Session Law 207‑41.

Wellman said the department had 11 full‑time vacancies at the time of the packet and reported 28,246 people currently receiving Medicaid in Burke County. He said the department processed 413 new Medicaid applications in April and that food‑nutrition caseloads showed roughly 9,85 active recipients in the packet. "Our staff continue to meet all their outcomes month by month," Wellman said.

In child welfare, Wellman reported 157 open CPS cases at the time of the presentation and characterized that figure as a 48% reduction in open CPS cases during the calendar year 2026. He also said there were 214 young people in foster care, including behaviorally based placements and three exits from foster care in April.

Wellman described a statewide MOU under Session Law 207‑41 — commonly referenced in his remarks as "Ryland's law" — that will reinstate measurable performance standards for counties, including timeliness thresholds for adult protective‑services evaluations (85% within 30 days) and other program metrics such as face‑to‑face contacts for children in foster care (95% monthly), emergency energy assistance processing, SNAP application timelines and special‑assistance processing windows. He warned that corrective actions can follow failure to meet thresholds and said the county will work to meet the standards once the MOU is executed.

Commissioners voted to accept the monthly DSS report as presented.