New Yorkers experiencing delays in their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and cash assistance benefits will receive relief through a lawsuit settlement reached with the City of New York, the Legal Aid Society announced on Monday.
The agreement mandates a list of reforms to ensure timely access to food benefits and cash assistance programs, modernization of the Human Resources Administration (HRA) and strengthening oversight of the agency.
HRA will overhaul its systems, meet “clear benchmarks” for processing applications and renewals, implement limits on call-in interview wait times and other communication updates and modernize its online platforms, reps from the Legal Aid Society said in a press release.
Attorneys representing the New Yorkers in the case and legal assistance groups said the reforms will help “hundreds of thousands of low-income New Yorkers” receive the food and cash aid more “quickly, reliably, and with fewer administrative barriers.”
Emily Lundgren, staff attorney with the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society, said low-income New Yorkers have been “forced to wait” for the benefits that the law guarantees them.
“This settlement finally holds the city accountable and ensures that families can access life-sustaining benefits without facing unnecessary red tape, technical barriers or bureaucratic neglect,” she added.
amNewYork contacted the HRA for comment about the agreement and is awaiting a response.
The lawsuit was filed in 2023, alleging the city failed to process applications and recertifications for SNAP and CA within the 30-day timeframe required by federal and state law. According to the suit, HRA failed to timely process half of all SNAP applications in August 2022 alone. That same month, the agency failed to process over one-third of cash assistance applications in a timely manner, the suit alleged.
Dropped calls, long delays in accessing SNAP and cash assistance
According to Abby Biberman, associate director of the New York Legal Assistance Group’s Public Benefits Unit, New Yorkers faced “endless delays, dropped calls and wrongful denials” while attempting to access the assistance.
“This settlement is a hard-won victory for those who have waited too long for food or cash assistance,” she said. “It promises faster processing, improved technology, and the basic ability to complete an interview without spending hours on hold.”
The settlement follows the recent uncertainty in New York when SNAP faced possible disruptions during the federal government shutdown. The confusion sparked a series of threats, legal battles and responses from state officials to help ensure NYC’s 1.8 million food-assistance recipients did not go hungry.
