The State of Maryland’s Department of Human Resources awarded the Washington County Department of Social Services’ Family Investment Division with the coveted Golden Fork Award on July 24, 2012. The award was presented by Rosemary Malone, Executive Director of the Family Investment Administration, along with Joanne Glover, Special Consultant to the Secretary and Marilyn Lorenzo, Program Manager, Family Investment Administration.
Washington County earned the award for exceeding goals set forth by the Department of Human Resources in: application timeliness, applications pre-reviewed and for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Challenge, a bi-weekly test caseworkers use to sharpen their skills.
Washington County is the first county in the state to win the award. In May, the Division was rewarded with a Silver Spoon Award for their work during the fourth quarter of 2011 (October – December).
Family Investment divisions throughout Maryland are responsible for determining eligibility for state programs including: Food Supplements (SNAP), Medicaid, Temporary Cash Assistance, Purchase of Care vouchers and the Temporary Disability Assistance Program. Over the past three years, these programs have seen unprecedented increases in the number of applicants as well as overall caseload totals, while seeing a decrease in overall workforce capacity. Washington County DSS has continued to excel at customer service and quality of work during this time.
