DEPARTMENT: Employment and Economic Assistance
FILE TYPE: Regular Information
TITLE
title
Federal Shutdown Impacts on Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program
end
PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Receive an update on the federal shutdown impacts on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).
SUMMARY
Timeline
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) notified Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) of insufficient funds to pay November SNAP benefits if the federal shutdown continued. DCYF shared this information with Dakota County midday on October 14, with the original guidance that benefits could no longer be processed by end of the day. This processing deadline was subsequently pushed out to October 15, and then later to October 31. DCYF sent text and email notifications to SNAP recipients on October 21 and began a media campaign to inform the community.
Impact on Residents
More than 11,700 Dakota County households (22,000 individuals) will be impacted by the pause in SNAP benefits. To date, neither Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) cash benefits nor MFIP-funded Special Diets are impacted.
Staff Response
Employment and Economic Assistance (E&EA) staff have prioritized SNAP and MFIP processing and mobilized a significant staffing effort to maximize our case processing within the given deadlines. The EEA team dispositioned more than 1,500 SNAP applications and renewals prior to the deadline so that at least October benefits were processed and sent to recipients. Staff have prepared and distributed resources capturing food supports in our community to share with walk-in clients, sent out over social media, and put on the County website.
Community Response
Governor Walz announced $5.5M in new funding for Minnesota food shelves. Many local community partners are standing up increased access to food drives, pick-up events, and community meals.
Incident Command Structure
An incident command structure was establi...
Click here for full text