Some Ohioans started receiving partial November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, payments Wednesday.
SNAP was halted due to the government shutdown at the beginning of the month. President Donald Trump and federal courts went back and forth determining whether the nation’s 42 million SNAP recipients would receive full payments, partial payments or no payments at all.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture directed Ohio to begin distributing partial SNAP payments.
The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services said it processed partial SNAP payments to approximately 364,000 households so far, about half of the Ohio households expected to receive SNAP benefits in November.
Tammy Tucker, from Cleveland, has not received hers yet.
“It's frustrating because you don't know what your next move is, how you're going to eat for the rest of the month and the months to follow,” Tucker said.
ODJFS said the rest of Ohio’s SNAP recipients should expect payments in the next few days.
The state said several factors will determine how much money each household will receive – net income, allowable deduction, housing and medical costs – but most families are expected to receive less than 65% of their normal benefits due to new federal guidance.
“It would be very helpful because something is better than nothing,” Tucker said. “It’s not what you’re used to, but you just have to issue it out a little different.”
A statement from ODJFS said about 1.4 million Ohioans – about 190,000 in Cuyahoga County – receive about $264 million in SNAP benefits each month.
“Once the federal government shutdown ends, additional FNS guidance will be needed to determine how to handle the difference between what would ordinarily be issued for the month and what is being issued this week,” the statement said.
To help make up for lost SNAP benefits, local and state leaders recently donated to food pantries, which have seen an influx of people in the last couple of weeks.
The United Way of Lake County said Lifeline, its rapid response agency, averages about 140 food related calls per month. It received more than 190 food related calls in the last week of October and the first week of November.
Last week, the United Way of Greater Cleveland, which serves Cuyahoga and Geauga Counties, said food related calls to its crisis hotline more than tripled in recent days.
