Little Rock, AR – (Contributed) – The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) is advising Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries that they should now expect to receive full benefit amounts for November, and that these funds will be disbursed to cards late tonight into tomorrow.
DHS has been preparing to make benefits available in line with guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week. USDA today issued a revised guidance directing states to issue full benefit amounts after the federal government shutdown formally came to an end.
DHS immediately began internal processes to allow for the distribution of these SNAP funds as soon as possible, and they are expected to be available beginning at midnight.
SNAP benefits are 100 percent federally funded, and the November issuance was delayed by the shutdown.
“We are pleased that our beneficiaries will soon receive this important food assistance because we know that families all across our state depend on SNAP to supplement their grocery budgets,” said DHS Secretary Janet Mann. “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.”
More than 70 DHS employees in various programs were furloughed because of the shutdown. Funds administered to community partners through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), and Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) programs were suspended, as were Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA)/Work Pays cash assistance programs for newly approved beneficiaries.