According to a new government spending bill, 31 states will start cutting SNAP benefits in March as the emergency allotments related to the COVID-19 pandemic come to an end.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for eligible families were increased by 15% starting in January 2021 as a result of the increase. SNAP is a joint federal-state initiative.
Where SNAP Benefits Will End?
More than 30 million SNAP participants will be impacted by the cuts in 31 states, which amount to an average monthly cut of $95 for them.
| Alabama | New Mexico |
| California | New York |
| Colorado | North Carolina |
| Connecticut | Ohio |
| Delaware | Oklahoma |
| District of Columbia | Oregon |
| Hawaii | Pennsylvania |
| Ilinois | Rhode Island |
| Kansas | South Carolina |
| Louisiana | Texas |
| Maine | Utah |
| Maryland | Vermont |
| Michigan | Virginia |
| New Jersey | Washington |
| New Hampshire | West Virginia |
| Wisconsin |
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Food Stamp Frauds
Meanwhile, millions of dollars in benefits have reportedly been stolen, according to state agencies and those who receive assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps.
And EBT cards lack the same security measures as regular credit or debit cards, which frequently offer refunds when money is stolen. Many victims have no other options as a result.
A new federal regulation that permits states to use federal funds to compensate SNAP recipients whose benefits were stolen through electronic card fraud may bring about some relief.
States are also required by federal law to increase the security of the cards. The payments, according to some lawmakers and advocates for low-income people, are only a partial solution to the issue.
The rule, which was incorporated into the $1.7 trillion federal omnibus spending bill that President Joe Biden signed in late December, requires states to replace EBT card benefits that were lost or stolen after October 1, 2022, through September 2024.
States have until the end of February to develop strategies for using the federal funding they receive for the SNAP program to compensate mistreated beneficiaries.
Although SNAP is jointly funded by the federal government and the states, until the massive bill was passed, the states could only use their own funds to reimburse the federal government.
According to the American Public Human Services Association, only a small number of states including California, the District of Columbia, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin reimbursed stolen benefits. Last fall, the states were polled on this issue by the nonprofit membership organization for state and local human service agencies.
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