Food Stamp benefits for many Lakewood families are still arriving over a month late, apparently due to the offices still backed up after the State relaxed its eligibility requirements last year.
Food Stamp recipients tell TLS its been six weeks, and they have not yet received their Food Stamps.
And to make matters worse, “you can not get through to them, they don’t answer the phones”, said one frustrated recipient.
Committeeman Langert tells TLS he has reached out for an update to County Freeholder Gerry Little – who serves as the liaison to the Ocean County Social Services in Lakewood, but has not yet received a call back.
When reported about the severe delays earlier this year, Langert spoke with an official at the Social Services center in Lakewood, who said that since the State relaxed the eligibility requirements for Food Stamps in September, 2011, offices around the State have been swamped with calls and applications. The official in the local office then said that their staff has been increased from 8 to 11 personnel, and the County has approved overtime hours for the office to keep up with the demand. As a result, the delay has gone from 4 months, down to 6 weeks, the official said at the time.
TLS will continue to monitor the issue, with the assistance of Committeeman Langert.
I was like them, but it came anyways.
The good news is everyone got a 300-500 “sandy” bonus
i applied for food stamps on 10/31 and still haven’t heard anythign back from them! its more than 2 months!
I was up for recertification in July. It took months to get a letter from them that I will have a phone interview. Well, guess what, that interview never happened bec. of the hurricane and I still haven’t heard anything from them!! That’s gonna be almost 6 months now! Any ideas when you can’t reach your caseworker??
The same thing happened with us so I have an idea. We went to the office on 2nd street right when it opened and waited to meet with a caseworker and filled out an application right there, it’s the only way to do it
maybe this is a good early sign for every food-stamp collector to realize that we working class can no longer support everyone sticking their hands out. start thinking of a new way to feed yourselves and your families.
-wake up. use this as an early sign to fight harder in life.
We were in the same boat, Mayor Miller had us call singers office and speak to the secretary to communicate special hardship etc. As a result it may get expedited in a few days.
Don’t forget it might take a few friendly non demanding phone calls.
Don’t forget to call Mayor Miller and relay your problems and graditude to him. Also above all don’t forget to thank the almighty. Haven’t gotten no sandy bonus and really just grateful got back our regular program after several month delay
Go to the office.
How do you apply for emails
To anonymous lakewooder: The only way, as far as I know to go about it ist too go down to the office and wait your turn for an appointment. Come prepared with all your paperwork for your interview. It could take a couple of hours but worth it. When I did that the caseworker told me that I shouldn’t have even waited till then to come in. You could go in even a month b4 you need to recertify
Maybe someone could answer this.
We recently got a very big amount on our food stamps card, close to 1,000 extra. We only receive around 400 a month. Is that the Sandy bonus you’re referring to?
I was afraid that it’s future money, that will soon kick me off or something like that.
Please forgive me if this post is hurtful to those who are waiting for their recertification.
Thank you.
The 1,000 extra is probably because once you are certified, they give benefits from the date of your application. So if you waited a couple of months to get on, plus a $200 Sandy benefit amount, your balance makes perfect sense.
As for all those others who think you can call/wait for phone appointments, dont rely on the phone when dealing with this at all. The only way I had any success is to go to the office and wait to be seen by a caseworker. It may take all morning, but where else are you going to make a steady $400/month or more by giving up one morning every 6 months???
i wasn’t able to buy food this whole month
People waited 4 months. So Be happy they got it down to 6 weeks
Freeholder Little is a great friend of the communitty
It is not 6 weeks. I am waiting more then six weeks
and I had my phone interview over 2 months ago
So this is what going to the doctor will look like when the government takes it all over with ObamaCare.
Who’s great idea was it to have the government run our lives, run our healthcare, give us our food?
You see, the government doesn’t care about you. They just want your votes, and as soon as the election is over, you’ll just have to wait on line for whatever benefit it is you need from them.
A private company, on the other hand, will work hard to make you happy, because they want your business.
Capitalism works. It gives everyone an equal opportunity to work hard and succeed.
Socialism, on the other hand, gives everyone an equal opportunity to rely on the government and be miserable.
Enjoy it while you can, buddies!
Please tell me what office you have to go to.
Be happy that you are eligible in the first. Plenty. People are turnrned down for the most rediculous reasons. Stop complaining and be happy for a change.
what do you expect when the usa is broke
its spending more than it brings in so of course there is no money
keep on calling i got mine in 5 week my advise to lakewood is is be nice to workers and they will get it done for you as soon as they can if your not so nice you will must likely end up on bottom of the pile good luck and keep on trucking
im waiting 3 months
to those who are able to work, go get a job ,to those who really desrve them you should not have to wait at all.
I called his office to complain and a caseworker called me the next day to process my renewal!!
Gee, I worked a full time job and a part time job weekends, my wife worked a full time job also. We owned our own home, it wasn’t a mansion like you see all over town now.We raised two children who turned out to be good parents and productive members of society. We wanted another but really couldn’t afford it as we didn’t want to go on food stamps or welfare.
Guess modern parents don’t care about sponging off the working class.
If you really need assistance stop complaining and be grateful what you have!
what is the number to call him?
As numbers # 3 said ,if you are able to work go get a job and stop living off the government . Also why should Lakewood get anything extra because of Sandy? Yes help the people who lost their homes but I haven’t heard of any being destroyed in Lakewood.
Maybe you were lucky enough not to have lost a refrigerator and freezer full of food, but I sure wasnt. And the $200 was a big help, but didnt come close to replenishing what we lost.
Then after Sandy, the snowstorm power outage lasted long enough that our refrigerator food had perished again!
For the person wanting to know where the office is, it is on 4th street between Clifton and Lexington on the north side of 4th. Brown brick building. Take elevator to the 3rd floor. Bring something to read and a snack and water bottle.
For all who are suggesting I “get a job”…I wouldnt need the public assistance if I could, but thank you I would have never thought of that as an option without your input!
I tried for 2 month’s on a daily basis to call. They dont pick up the phone nor return phone calls. The only way to go about it is to call as many elected officials as can and complain.
It’s not the presidents fault that you consciously decided to rely on foodstamps forever . I don’t think you realize, but foodstamps is supposed to be something given to people who ordinarily have enough , just for a small time need a hand getting food, like between jobs or during an illness. Ask any regular American in any income bracket and you will hear the same thing.
Hey, genius, hows about someone who is unfortunate enough to suffer from chronic illness? Someone who suddenly becomes permanently disabled? Someone elderly who can no longer work for the rest of their life? These are not temporary circumstances like you described and I would love to hear anyone begrudge such people from being reliant on foodstamps.
Ouch. Honestly, This is probably the saddest thread I’ve ever read on TLS, and, as u know, I’ve read many. Very Many. Hatzlochah to All. DB.
I finally got through to someone they
said they never got my paperwork they said it
probably got lost due to the hurricane
I had to do a phone interview again and they are sending me
another application and have to resend in the paperwork
and have to wait till it gets processed, who knows how many weeks
or months that will be.