NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams’ administration entered into a court settlement Friday requiring the city to implement a series of guardrails ensuring SNAP applications are processed in a timely manner — a move that comes on the heels of the critical low-income food benefits landing in the crosshairs of this fall’s federal shutdown.

The settlement, which marks the conclusion of a class-action lawsuit brought against Adams’ administration in 2023, will require the city to overhaul its application systems to make sure legitimate claims for the food benefits take no longer than 30 days to process.

The settlement sets the same guarantees for cash assistance applications, which have, like SNAP claims, been processed at historically slow rates rates under Adams’ administration.

“For too long, low-income New Yorkers have been forced to wait — sometimes for months — for the food and cash benefits that federal and state law guarantee them,” said Emily Lundgren, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society who helped file the class-action lawsuit that prompted the new settlement. “This settlement finally holds the city accountable and ensures that families can access life-sustaining benefits without facing unnecessary red tape, technical barriers or bureaucratic neglect.”

Among other reforms, the city must under the settlement implement strict limits on wait times for call-in interviews held to screen applicants for SNAP and cash assistance eligibility. The settlement also stipulates that the city must guarantee the right to an in-person interview for anyone who requests one and provide same-day callback options for those who aren’t available to pick up at the time of an eligibility screening.

Additionally, the court-approved agreement requires the city to “modernize” its online application platforms to make document uploads easier. Staff handling benefits processing at the city’s Human Resources Administration will need to undergo “updated training” on “new procedures, client communication and use of technology to improve service quality and reduce errors,” the settlement states.

In addition to Legal Aid, the case that prompted the settlement was brought by New York Legal Assistance Group and Manhattan-based law firm Dechert.

Spokesmen for the mayor did not immediately return a request for comment on the settlement.

The lawsuit that prompted the settlement came after Adams’ administration struggled for years to comply with SNAP and cash assistance processing requirements, with more than half of applications at one point not being addressed within the requisite 30-day window. The Adams administration said the lags were caused by high demand for the benefits that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The settlement also comes after President Donald Trump’s administration tried to cut off SNAP benefits altogether during the federal government shutdown between October and November.

The benefits are funded with federal dollars but processed and distributed by local governments.

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