u/Rong_Liu

Like why isn't the Chancellor also just the head of state?

You can get your SNAP benefits faster if you qualify for a SNAP expedite. A SNAP expedite shortens the SNAP decision deadline from 30 to 7 days and gives you a month of SNAP benefits while the rest of your case is being decided (including the TA decision if you're applying for both).

The most common way to get an expedite is to show that your rent/mortgage + utility bill for the month of application is more than your income (pay stubs, welfare benefits, etc.) + resources (bank accounts, stocks, etc.) for the month of application AND provide your ID. You also have to be a new SNAP application. Technically everything but ID can be taken just off your word according to NYS policy but in practice some workers and supervisors don't follow this. Submit these docs before or at the interview if you can.

Also, if you're applying through Albany County DSS, the TA department has an unwritten rule that you have to provide your birth certificate and social security card for all household members. If you can submit those before or at the interview it will make the entire TA-SNAP process go smoother. If you aren't able to afford getting them the County is supposed to get those documents on your behalf, but a lot of workers won't tell you this.

Sincerely, a DSS worker.

I live in a US city that was founded by Dutch settlers and has a yearly tulip festival celebrating the regions Dutch heritage + continued connection to a Dutch sister city that we helped rebuild after WW2. To open the festival they have students put on clogs and old-timey dresses and ceremoniously wash the street. Every year they say that this street washing is an old Dutch tradition that symbolizes welcoming visitors, so I was wondering if it actually is/was a known practice in the Netherlands.