INDIANAPOLIS — The 585,000 people in the state of Indiana currently receiving SNAP assistance will have their February benefits applied on Wednesday, January 16, due to the partial shutdown.
Since SNAP benefits (commonly referred to as “food stamps”) are handled by the USDA—and because the USDA is one of the federal agencies impacted by the partial shutdown—funding for the program is only assured through January 20th. States, now, are having to make quick decisions to get food stamps out to people while they still can.
For Indiana SNAP recipients, this will mean a one-time advance disbursement of all February benefits Wednesday, applied directly to their EBT cards. Recipients don’t need to do anything extra to receive or activate the advance benefits, but workers at the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) want them to know that it’s not a mistake.
The FSSA is also urging them to budget their benefits accordingly, because these benefits will need to last all the way through February 28th.
If a compromise is reached in Washington to end the partial shutdown, SNAP should be back to normal by March. If no deal is reached, however, it remains unclear what it will mean for families that rely on food stamps.
“The continuing resolution will have expired by then, so we don’t know,” said Marni Lemons, a spokesperson for the FSSA. “I guess talk to your US Representatives, your members of Congress, and Senators, and urge them to solve the issue.”
For Kentucky SNAP recipients, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services said it will be applying February benefits by Sunday, January 20th to avoid missing the deadline in funding.
►Contact reporter Rob Harris at rjharris@whas11.com. Follow him on Twitter (@robharristv) and Facebook.