NYC Fixes Food Stamps, Cash Aid Backlogs That Left 50K Waiting: Mayor

NEW YORK CITY — Needy New Yorkers' long waits to get OK'd for food stamps and cash assistance are nearly at an end.

Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday that backlogs for processing food stamps, or SNAP and cash assistance applications have been eliminated by 97 percent and 90 percent, respectively.

"I'm proud to announce that we are on pace to clear the cash assistance and SNAP application backlogs that totaled more than 50,000 last summer," he said.

The backlogs left thousands of low-income New Yorkers waiting for much-needed benefits, and prompted outrage from advocates who lambasted the bureaucratic failures behind them.

Advocates with The Legal Aid Society filed a class action lawsuit last year accusing city officials of failing to process the applications within the 30 days required by law.

The suit led to an August court injunction that set a March 2024 deadline for the city to correct what Legal Aid advocates called an "egregious" backlog.

"Going forward, we will continue to hold the City accountable for any processing delays that adversely impact our clients," a statement from Legal Aid advocates states. "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."

City officials blamed the backlog on a record number of applications as federal pandemic-related support expired.

Fully remote application processing and nearly 1,000 new Department of Social Services staff helped clear the backlog, officials said.