1st-time enrollees for welfare help must wait till Aug. 29

YOUNGSTOWN

Mahoning County residents planning on enrolling for welfare benefits for the first time will have to wait until after Aug. 28 for approval.

The Mahoning County Department of Jobs and Family Services will be unable to approve new enrollees for benefits such as Medicaid, food and cash assistance beginning Aug. 23 as part of a statewide update to benefit enrollment software.

MCDJFS administrator Gwen Graves said individuals receiving benefits will see no interruption to their normal service, though the MCDJFS will be unable to approve new enrollees, make changes or access client files or answer questions through their call center during the software update.

Read more about the situation in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.