With shutdown over, states scramble to disburse full SNAP benefits

With the longest U.S. government shutdown over, state officials said Thursday that they are working quickly to get full SNAP food benefits to millions of people, though it could still take up to a week for some to receive their delayed aid.

- By Grorr MULVIHILL AND Davin A. LIEB

L.A. COUNTY Supervisor Hilda Solis helps distribute food and other items last week in the City of Industry.

(GENARO MOLINA Los Angeles Times)

A back-and-forth series of court rulings and shifting policies from President Trump's administration has led to a patchwork distribution of November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Although some states had already issued full SNAP benefits, about two-thirds of states had issued only partial benefits or none at all before the government shutdown ended late Wednesday, according to an Associated Press tally.

The federal food program serves about 42 million people, or 1 in 8 Americans, in lower-income households. They receive an average of about $190 monthly per person, though that doesn’t necessarily cover the full cost of groceries for aregular month.

A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, which runs the program, said in an email Wednesday that funds could be available “upon the government reopening, within 24 hours for most states.”

But the agency didn’t say whether that timeline indicates when themoney willbe available to states or when it could be loaded onto the electronic cards used by beneficiaries.