States Scramble to Pay SNAP Benefits   11/14 06:01

   With the longest U.S. government shutdown over, state officials said 
Thursday that they are working quickly to get full SNAP food benefits to 
millions of people who made do with little-to-no assistance for the past couple 
of weeks.

   (AP) -- With the longest U.S. government shutdown over, state officials said 
Thursday that they are working quickly to get full SNAP food benefits to 
millions of people who made do with little-to-no assistance for the past couple 
of weeks.

   A back-and-forth series of court rulings and shifting policies from 
President Donald Trump's administration has led to a patchwork distribution of 
November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. While 
some states already had issued full SNAP benefits, about two-thirds of states 
had issued only partial benefits or none at all before the government shutdown 
ended late Wednesday, according to an Associated Press tally.

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the program, issued new 
guidance Thursday, instructing: "State agencies must take immediate steps to 
ensure households receive their full November allotments promptly."

   The federal food program serves about 42 million people, about 1 in 8 
Americans, in lower-income households. They receive an average of around $190 
monthly per person, though that doesn't necessarily cover the full cost of 
groceries for a regular month.

   Because of the uncertainty over benefits, the USDA told states to exclude 
November from a federal requirement that most adult SNAP recipients work, 
volunteer or participate in job training for at least 80 hours a month. Under 
normal circumstances, recipients can only go three months in a span of three 
years without meeting the work requirements.

   States shifting from zero to full speed for benefits

   In some states where SNAP recipients had received nothing during November, 
officials said they are working to load money on to people's electronic benefit 
cards by Friday, if not sooner.

   The Arkansas Department of Human Services said Thursday that full November 
SNAP benefits are expected to be available at midnight for people to buy 
groceries.

   "This has been difficult for our beneficiaries, and we are incredibly 
appreciative to our partners across the state who helped bridge the gap through 
food pantries, donation drives, and other assistance efforts," department 
Secretary Janet Mann said in a statement.

   Officials in South Carolina and West Virginia, which also had not issued 
November benefits, said the full monthly amount should be available by Friday. 
And Alabama said full SNAP benefits should be issued Thursday.

   North Carolina, which issued partial benefits last week, said full monthly 
SNAP benefits should be loaded on people's electronic cards by Friday. Colorado 
said it was switching from delivering partial to full SNAP benefits Thursday.

   The Illinois Department of Human Services, which previously issued partial 
November benefits, said Thursday that it is "working to restore full SNAP 
benefits." But it won't happen instantly.

   "We anticipate that the remaining benefit payments will be made over several 
days, starting tomorrow," the department said in a statement, and that "all 
SNAP recipients will receive their full November benefits by November 20th."

   Paused SNAP payments stirred stress for some families

   The delayed SNAP payments posed another complication for Lee Harris' family 
since his spouse was laid off a few months ago.

   Harris, 34, said the North Little Rock, Arkansas, family got help from his 
temple and received food left by someone who was moving. With that assistance 
-- and the knowledge that other families have greater needs -- they skipped 
stopping by the food pantry they had sometimes used.

   They and their three daughters have been able to keep meals fairly close to 
normal despite missing a SNAP payment this week. But they still have 
experienced stress and uncertainty.

   "Not knowing a definite end," Harris said, "I don't know how much I need to 
stretch what I have in our pantry."

   Federal legislation funds SNAP for a year

   The USDA told states Oct. 24 that it would not fund SNAP benefits for 
November amid the government shutdown. Many Democratic-led states sued to have 
the funding restored.

   After judges ruled the Trump administration must tap into reserves to fund 
SNAP, the administration said it would fund up to 65% of its regular 
allocations. When a judge subsequently ordered full benefits, some states 
scrambled to quickly load SNAP benefits onto participants' cards during a 
one-day window before the Supreme Court put that order on hold Friday.

   Meanwhile, other states went forward with partial benefits, and still others 
issued nothing while waiting for further USDA guidance about the situation.

   Amid the uncertainty over federal SNAP funding, some states tapped into 
their own funds to provide direct aid to SNAP recipients or additional money 
for nonprofit food banks.

   The legislation to reopen the U.S. government provides full SNAP benefits 
not only for November but also for the remainder of the federal fiscal year, 
which runs through next September. Citing that legislation, the Justice 
Department on Thursday dropped its request for the Supreme Court to continue 
blocking a judicial order to pay full SNAP benefits.