In response to COVID-19, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) took advantage of several waivers made available by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that decreased the administrative burden on the local county agencies. These included:

• Waiving the interim reporting requirements;
• Suspending recertification interview requirements for six months; and
• Waiving the interview requirement in cases where the agency could independently verify eligibility.

These waivers allowed Cuyahoga Job and Family Services (CJFS) to focus resources on the influx of new applications that were being received as a result of the massive job loss occurring during the pandemic. CJFS responsiveness during this time was at record levels as application timeliness rose and Contact Center wait times dropped to historic levels.

At the close of Q2-21, the previously suspended recertification process came due, thereby nearly doubling the number of recertifications in May 2021 and June 2021. CJFS observed a decrease in SNAP enrollment due to the auto-disenrollment process associated with recertifications. CJFS continues to monitor enrollment and access to services in an effort to provide much needed SNAP benefits to the residents of Cuyahoga County.