NYC backlog for food stamp, cash assistance applications nearly cleared

The Adams administration announced Monday it has dramatically reduced backlogs that forced low-income New Yorkers to endure long waits for food stamps and cash assistance.

The city's failure to distribute public benefits within a court ordered timeframe prompted requests by the Legal Aid Society and other groups to hold the city in contempt of court.

Molly Wasow Park, the city's Department of Social Services commissioner, announced Monday morning that the backlogs in cash and food stamp grants had been reduced by 97% and 90%, respectively. Park attributed the improvements to several changes:

1. Applicants can now complete their paperwork over the phone, and they can call city workers at a time of their choosing.
2. The state gave local bureaucrats permission to eliminate a "6-month letter" that was previously sent to new recipients six months after benefits were turned on. Park says the letter asked recipients to certify that everything was the same and served no other purpose, but failure to respond to this letter had resulted in termination of benefits for many families. New York State issued a waiver so that the city could remove this unnecessary obstacle.

By the city's count, some 600,000 applications were processed since last summer, completed with the help of an influx of nearly 1,000 new staff brought on at the beginning of last year.

The cash assistance backlog peaked in late summer with more than 46,000 applications awaiting approval. By the end of February, the city had around 400 SNAP applications in the backlog, and some 1,150 cash assistance cases pending.

"Thanks to our investments, our administration has nearly eliminated the cash assistance and SNAP backlogs — processing more than 50,000 applications and building on our work to ensure vulnerable New Yorkers can get the support they need," Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

Park also explains that the number of New Yorkers on public benefits is up 25%, demonstrating not only the ease of the new application process but also an increased need, which she says is heightened in part by the expiration of special COVID-19 programs for rental assistance.

“Following a court injunction issued last August that set a March 2024 deadline for the City to come into full compliance with the law, we are very pleased that the Adams Administration was able to correct the egregious backlog of applications filed by low-income New Yorkers for these life-saving benefits," the Legal Aid Society said Monday. 

“Going forward, we will continue to hold the City accountable for any processing delays that adversely impact our clients. Lastly, we await further details from the City on how the backlog was reduced to ensure that any eligible household received the benefits entitled to them by the law.”

Commissioner Park said the city is monitoring the number of migrant families now receiving public benefits. She said the number of asylum seekers collecting public benefits is "very marginal" but did not disclose a number.  

Data provided by the city shows some 1.7 million New Yorkers receive SNAP benefits and more than 500,000 receive cash assistance.