A new state social services system will work very well when fully implemented, Gloucester Social Services officials said.

“This is a tremendous leap for us,” Beth Barry, director of Gloucester Social Services, said of the new Virginia Case Management System. The system is a way toward going paperless while helping keep up with those who seek social service assistance.

The system will better track applicants for assistance and make referrals to local social service agencies to determine eligibility for aid. More applications are now being handled online, Barry said.

The caseload for Gloucester Social Services is broad. For example, Barry said there continues to be a slight increase in the number of approved Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program households in the county in recent months. Applications in June totaled 99, she said, but the total number of SNAP recipients was 5,522 in FY2016 and 6,024 the previous year.

But not everyone who applies receives SNAP benefi...