By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Wood County Department of Job and Family Services is bracing for federal funding cuts that will hit local residents with the greatest needs for food, health care, and help keeping children safe.
Worst case scenario – the local office could see a loss of $1.9 million by October.
Wood County JFS Director Dave Wigent presented the possible cuts on Tuesday to the Wood County Commissioners. The Job and Family Services office relies heavily on federal funding, he said.
“We’re your only department that’s 80% federal funding,” minus the local levy, Wigent told the commissioners.
“Our situation isn’t if we’re going to get cut – but how much we’re going to get cut,” he said.
Wigent said there seems to be a lack of awareness at the federal level about the need for social service programs.
“I think the federal folks right now don’t understand the needs,” he said. “There are real practical effects of these cuts. There are tens of millions of Americans on Medicaid – many in red states. I don’t think that’s been thought through. The optics of social service offices collapsing is not positive for anybody.”
Based on early information from the federal government, it looks like the potential cuts would hit the following Wood County JFS programs:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), could see a 20% cut, totaling $239,000. This would not only affect families in need of food, but also farmers who are paid to be part of the program, Wigent said. Between 14,000 and 15,000 Wood County residents rely on SNAP.
- Medicaid could be hit with a 15% cut, totaling $181,000. Approximately 17,000 Wood County residents are on Medicaid.
- Social service block grant for Children’s Services could see loss of all federal funding – in Wood County that would be $1.2 million that is normally used for child abuse, neglect and exploitation cases. An estimated 1,500 families need these services each year. Child welfare programs can’t collapse, so the county could be on the hook for these services, Wigent said.
- Title 4E in Children’s Services, which could lose $124,000 in collateral damage linked to Medicaid.
- Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) could lose 10% of its funding, or $184,000 in Wood County. That program helps with housing and utility expenses, plus with needs like winter coats for kids, or work boots for an adult needing them for a job, Wigent said. Approximately 23,000 local residents rely on income maintenance programs.
“These are guesstimates,” Wigent said, expressing frustration at the lack of concise information on the cuts. “It’s been changing about every 10 minutes.”
At the same time, there are unknowns with the state budget. While Gov. Mike DeWine supports social and children’s services, “there are elements of the Ohio Republicans that want to cut more,” he said.
In preparation for the cuts, Wigent implemented a hiring freeze at Wood County Job and Family Services last month.
“I am not very popular with my administrators right now,” he told the county commissioners. Just Tuesday morning, prior to meeting with the commissioners, Wigent said he learned of two more staff retirements and two more resignations – who won’t be replaced.
“I want to continue this through October, then see where we’re at,” he said. “I never want to lay off people. It’s a horrible thing.”
As a precaution, the JFS levy collection was restored to 100% this year, rather than the 75% collected in some healthier years.
Wood County JFS recently received an award for efficient program operations, Wigent said. Those timely services may be sacrificed with the pending cuts.
“We can bleed a little and still provide services to the public,” he said. “The services, so far, will not go away, but they will be slowed.”
Wigent told the commissioners that some other JFS departments in Ohio are facing far more dire situations.
“We can sustain more damage than other counties,” he said. “A lot of counties operate on a shoestring budget.”
“I just want someone to tell me how much money we’re going to have next year,” Wigent said.
