Shutdown upsets SNAP schedule
February available for use by Saturday. It’s unclear when they will see funds for March, if at all.
“This early payment allows us to get SNAP recipients their benefits for February, but they will have to make this payment last for an undefined period as the shutdown continues,” state Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller said in a statement earlier this week, referring to the abbreviation for the program’s formal name, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Recipients are being notified of the change by letters and emails, according to the statement from the agency.
Such an early distribution of funds is “completely unprecedented,” state Department of Human Services officials said.
Because the benefits are normally distributed electronically on a staggered schedule, the length of time people will have to stretch their benefits will vary considerably. In Allegheny County, benefits are usually distributed between the 1st and 12th of the month, but other counties are on different schedules.
Because of the change, recipients could receive their February benefit anywhere between 16 and 29 days earlier than normal, state human service officials say.
Anti-hunger advocates say the early payments are cause for concern, because some families will be forced to stretch them for so long.
“We know that benefits are already inadequate and people tend to run out by the third week of the month,” said Ann Sanders, policy advocate with Just Harvest, an anti-hunger organization. “For households that struggle through this, our fear is that instead of having one week at the end of January and one week at the end of February with no ability to purchase food, the last two weeks in February will be awful. That prolonged food insecurity will be incredibly hard and strain the emergency food system, which is already used to fill the gap of inadequate SNAP benefits.”
What will happen in March also is unclear because of the ongoing shutdown. There’s no end in sight to the standoff between President Donald Trump and Congress over funding for a border wall desired by Mr. Trump.
“Payments beyond February will be determined based on the availability of USDA funds,” said a statement from the state Department of Human Services, referring to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the federal agency that funds the food stamp program and is currently subject to the shutdown. “DHS is awaiting information from the USDA on plans for March benefits should the partial federal government shutdown continue.”
Misinformation is another fear, Ms. Sanders said, if some people don’t know this is February’s benefit and thus don’t save some of it.
“We’ve engaged numerous community partners and advocates so they can assist us in getting the message out to individuals,” said Ali Fogarty, a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania’s human service agency. “We need SNAP recipients to understand that they are not only getting this benefit early, but it has to last until they receive their next benefit. For some, that could be well over a month. Even if the federal shutdown ends tomorrow this will not change for those individuals, so we expect ramifications of this to continue until we are able to return to a normal schedule.”
“The partial federal government shutdown has real implications for millions of people in Pennsylvania and around the country who use SNAP to keep food on the table,” said Ms. Miller in a statement. “Changes in the way people get their benefits and uncertainty regarding future benefits creates confusion and concern that should be avoidable. The federal government must come to a solution so people who already face food insecurity do not continue to be caught in the middle of a situation that they did not create.”
Said Mr. Lewis, “I would urge people to keep their eye on the news and keep their eye on what’s happening. In an ideal world, people hold their legislators’ feet to the fire, and say, ‘A wall is one thing, but a hungry family is quite another.’”
More than 1.8 million Pennsylvanians receive SNAP, including more than 148,000 in Allegheny County, according to the most recent state data.
Due to the shutdown and changes to SNAP, Jewish Family and Community Services is asking schools, congregations and other groups to hold food drives and donate to the JFCS Squirrel Hill Food Pantry “to help meet the emergency need before it becomes a crisis.” The pantry serves the 15217 ZIP code as well as kosher clients from the Pittsburgh area.
For questions about SNAP, call the statewide DHS customer service center at 1-877-395-8930.