Governor Mills Directs Maine DHHS to Issue Full SNAP Benefits for November

Governor directs full benefit payment to eligible households following Federal court rulings and new Federal guidance

Governor Janet Mills today announced that she has directed the Maine Department and Health and Human Services (DHHS) to issue full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in November to eligible Maine households.

The Governor issued this directive after multiple Federal court orders compelled the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release contingency funding for SNAP during the ongoing Federal shutdown. It is also consistent with new guidance released today by USDA (PDF), indicating the agency intends to make full funding for November available to comply with the Federal court order.

"Withholding SNAP contingency funding was a wrong and callous decision that should not have needed a court order to reverse," said Governor Mills. "I have directed DHHS to issue full November benefits to eligible households -- as USDA said today it will provide the funding to do -- to ensure thousands of Maine people don't go hungry in November."

"SNAP is a lifeline that helps Maine people keep food on the table and sustains our local food economy,"said Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Sara Gagné-Holmes. "We are relieved that full benefits will issue and that Maine people will receive their November SNAP benefits timely."

Maine DHHS will issue full November SNAP benefits beginning on November 10 through November 14 -- the State's standard schedule for issuing benefits. SNAP applications, renewals, and other updates continue to be accepted and processed by Maine DHHS during the Federal shutdown.

"SNAP benefits will be available beginning the week of November 10, in line with Maine's standard issuance timelines," said Maine DHHS' Director for the Office for Family Independence Ian Yaffe. "SNAP households should check their EBT card balance on their typical date of issuance to see their November standard issuance amount."

On October 10, the USDA informed states that benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will not be distributed in November due to the Federal shutdown. On October 24, the USDA issued a memo claiming it could not legally use SNAP contingency funds to cover regular benefits.

Each month, some $29 million in Federal funding for SNAP is provided to 170,000 Maine people, with the average family of four receiving $572. Nearly 12.5 percent of the state's population rely on SNAP, with several counties -- Androscoggin, Aroostook, Washington, Piscataquis, and Somerset -- approaching or surpassing 20 percent of their populations. Nearly 75 percent of Maine's SNAP households include at least one working adult, more than half include a person with a disability, 43 percent include an older adult, and over one-third include children.

Last week, Governor Mills announced that she is delivering $1.25 million to Good Shepherd Food Bank, Maine's Area Agencies on Aging, and other anti-hunger programs in Maine as the Federal shutdown continues, in partnership with the John T. Gorman Foundation.

Also last week, Governor Mills and 20 other governors wrote a letter to the President detailed the impact of ending these benefits on people across the nation and urged him to direct the Department to release SNAP contingency funds immediately.

SNAP is the nation's largest Federal nutrition assistance program. It helps individuals and families with low-income buy food by providing monthly benefits that can be used at authorized grocery stores and farmers markets. Funded by the USDA and administered by states, SNAP aims to reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and support local economies by increasing food purchases in communities.

For more information on SNAP please visit DHHS's Federal Shutdown SNAP FAQ website.