North Carolina has seen a rise in applications for Food and Nutrition Services, formerly known as food stamps, in the past few months, and Mecklenburg County has had trouble keeping up with an increase locally.
A county spokesperson said Friday that staff are still processing FNS applications from August despite state guidelines that say applications should be processed within 30 days. The county blames the backlog, in part, on a lack of staffing.
According to state officials, North Carolina had an average of 76,000 Food and Nutrition Services applications in June, July and August, nearly double compared to the same months last year.
The county received more than 7,000 applications in September, compared to about 4,000 applications the previous September.
For the week of Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, among the applications that were approved only about 62% were completed in a timely manner, according to data from the state Health and Human Services Department.
Mecklenburg said it has taken steps to streamline the process by reducing interview requirements and allowing applicants to use telephonic signatures instead having to complete the application in person. The county said it has also hired temporary staff to help clear the backlog.
