NORWICH – The Chenango County Department of Social Services is seeking public feedback on a two-year plan providing for people who receive food stamps and temporary assistance.

Federal law requires the Department of Social Services to put together a bi-annual plan, called the “Temporary Assistance (TA) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment Plan,” which outlines how the department will make Food Stamp and TA recipients more self-sufficient.

According to Chenango County Deputy Commissioner Daniel Auwarter, the plan is a tool that DSS uses to better monitor programs and initiatives that help eliminate barriers between an individual and self-sufficiency.

“Time truly can be of the essence when it comes to success, which is why districts are tasked with developing local strategies to increase self-sufficiency,” Auwarter said. “Studies have correlated the length of time a person is unemployed and on assistance with steadily increasing difficulty in addressing barriers to success, creating a cycle that is harder and harder to break.”

The TA and SNAP plan offers a roadmap for DSS administrators to address that issue by outlining administrative functions, contracts and agreements with other agencies, conciliation and dispute resolution, and assesment planning strategies. Approved activities, such as work experience, training, job search activities, community service, vocational education, or the completion of a high school education, help fulfill state requirements for someone who’s receiving federal TA or SNAP benefits.