Does This USDA Letter State That SNAP Benefits Will End November 1st?

A letter from the USDA has raised fears that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits may be cut off as early as November 1st.

The letter is genuine.

The USDA stated that November benefits will not be withheld. We received a statement from the USDA Regional Administrator mentioned in the letter, who told us the letter “deals with an automated transmission between States and EBT vendors that could happen as early as October 15th, not with the issuance of November benefits.”

The Letter

The letter was first published by Crossroads Urban Center on Facebook. A copy of the letter (below), dated October 11, 2013 has gone viral this week.

The portion of the letter which has received the most attention is the paragraph which reads:

According to the information we have received, several States provide the next month’s issuance files as early as the 15th of the month. With that in mind, understanding the operational issues and constraints that States face, and in the interest of preserving maximum flexibility, we are directing States to hold their November issuance files and delay transmission to State electronic benefit transfer (EBT) vendors until further notice.

USDA Response

We reached out to the individual mentioned in the letter, and received the following response:

While October benefits are fully funded, we appreciate that you are concerned about future operations in the context of a continuing lapse.

At this point, USDA has not instructed States to withhold November benefits from participants. A recent letter to States regarding November issuance files deals with an automated transmission between States and EBT vendors that could happen as early as October 15th, not with the issuance of November benefits. Based on the current uncertainty, USDA has directed States to hold November issuance files in order to preserve maximum flexibility as we consider possible options should the lapse in funding continue.

FNS will continue to work with our States and appreciates their continued support in responding to information requests that will assist us in determining the ultimate course of action.

Again, thank you for your message.

Sincerely,

Jessica Shahin
Associate Administrator
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Food and Nutrition Service
US Department of Agriculture

Sources

• Utah families on food stamps could be cut off soon (Nineveh Dinha, Fox 13: October 14, 2013)
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Wikipedia)