Why Mississippi SNAP Benefits are Late and When Families will get the Payments?

Mississippi SNAP Benefits Delay: Mississippi families who depend on SNAP help for their food needs faced more confusion this week after the Mississippi Department of Human Services changed its message about November money.

The agency first said everyone would get their full November support on time, but now the state says many families will only get a part of their money at first, and the rest will come later when full funding is ready.

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New Updates

MDHS explained that homes with payment dates from November 14 to November 21 will not get the full amount right away. The agency said that these families will receive “up to 65 percent of their November SNAP benefit amount based on household size and circumstance on their regularly scheduled issuance date.” Officials also said that the remaining money will be sent “as soon as possible.”

This change surprised many families because the earlier message from the state suggested that everyone with dates between November 14 and November 21 would get their full benefits on time. Now the state plans to send the leftover money for families with November 1-13 dates as soon as funding reaches the agency.

The update also comes after big problems at the national level. Earlier in the month the federal money for SNAP got delayed because the US Department of Agriculture and the Trump administration moved to give only partial support during what became the longest government shutdown in US. history. Some states sent out payments before the legal fight ended, while others waited until the government reopened and full funding returned.

Even with all the trouble the federal officials say all SNAP payments for November will still reach the 42 million people who use the program for grocery support.

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What Mississippi Families can Expect?

MDHS said it will move fast to release the remaining amounts once the funds reach the state. The agency also shared one piece of good news. It confirmed that all December payments will arrive on time, which gives families a small sense of calm as the holidays get close.

About 385,000 people, almost 13% of the state’s population, get SNAP help each month. The numbers show how many people rely on the program to keep food on the table.

• Around 39% of SNAP users in the state earn at or below 50% of the federal poverty line.
• Another 14% fall between 51% and 100%, and about 47% have incomes at or above the poverty line.