Save social services

By John Maher

jmaher@liherald.com

Village resident Grace D. Moran, a partner at Moran Karamouzis LLP, has been appointed to serve as special master overseeing Nassau County’s food stamp, Medicaid and other public assistance programs.

Moran’s appointment on July 29 by U.S. District Court Judge Sandra J. Feuerstein, who has presided over the case Dowdell v. Imhof, serves as an answer to the criticism of local social service advocates, including Empire Justice Center of Central Islip and Manhattan’s National Center for Economic Justice. The two groups jointly filed suit against the county in 2010, alleging routine violations of state and federal deadlines on processing requests for aid.

The plaintiffs filed a motion for enforcement and contempt this past February, and specifically requested the appointment of a special master.

“I have asked both sides what they consider to be the primary issue,” said Moran, who was scheduled to meet with representatives from both parties on Sept. 10. “I’m trying to approach this in a dispassionate manor — it does nobody any good for each side to dig into moral ground.”

According to attorneys for the advocacy groups, the county failed to notify 43 percent of food stamp applicants of their approval within the 30-day deadline, while 37 percent of Medicaid applications were also delayed past the 45-day deadline. Moran will work pro-bono with the Nassau Department of Social Services and Commissioner John Imhof in order to come up with a plan to better the county’s response time in the processing of requests.

The judge’s order requires Moran to bring a preliminary report to the court by Nov. 4.