PHONE: 740-432-2381
800-307-8422
View GUERNSEY COUNTY DJFS
Public Assistance

The task of Public Assistance is to provide assistance to needy Guernsey County residents through Public Assistance Programs such as Food Assistance, Medicaid, Ohio Works First (OWF) cash assistance and Disability Financial Assistance (DFA). This unit provides a temporary safety net for those families in immediate crisis.

The primary focus of the Public Assistance Division is to establish initial and ongoing eligibility for the above Public Assistance programs and to support agency efforts to assist clients in achieving self-sufficiency.

The state of Ohio has implemented a new web-based tool that allows Ohioans to apply for food assistance, cash assistance, and Medicaid and update their case information online.

Food Assistance

The food assistance program, also known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), helps low income individuals and families put food on their table. Food Assistance benefits are issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through county job and family services departments and are used to purchase specific staples and grocery items at participating grocery stores.

Eligibility, determined by the county departments of job and family services, is based on federal guidelines including income, allowable expenses (e.g. rent/mortgage, utility bills, child care, child support for child(ren) paid outside of the home), household size and resources in some situations.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a state and federally funded health care coverage plan for low income or medically vulnerable people of all ages. There are two major groups, Covered Families and Children; and those who are Aged Blind or have a Disability (ABD). In general, Medicaid provides comprehensive coverage for necessary health services.

Ohio Department of Medicaid

Financial Assistance

The cash assistance program, Ohio Works First (OWF), is a federally funded program and part of Ohio’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. OWF provides monthly, time-limited cash assistance to financially eligible families and emphasizes employment, training and work experience as a means to help families become self-sufficient.

This program provides cash assistance up to 36 months for qualified low income families that include child(ren) less than 19 years of age and pregnant women in their third trimester. All eligibility factors must be met, including signing the Self-Sufficiency Contract.

Ohio’s Disability Financial Assistance program is a safety net for needy individuals who do not meet all of the eligibility requirements necessary to receive help from the other federal and state benefit programs, such as Supplemental Security Income and Ohio Works First. Determining eligibility for DFA requires the involvement of a unit within ODJFS. This unit, Disability Determination Unit (DDU), is charged with the duty of determining whether or not an applicant for DFA meets the definition of disability. All other eligibility issues are determined by Guernsey County JFS.

Summary of Rights and Responsibilities for SNAP and Cash Programs
Guernsey County JFS
324 Highland Avenue Cambridge, OH 43725
Phone: 740-432-2381 | 800-307-8422
Fax: 740-432-1952

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