Indiana residents were hit with bad news after learning that SNAP benefits in 2022 had an expiration date as Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill on Thursday that will sunset the enhanced federal food aid that has been distributed for nearly two years.
Hoosiers have enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since April 2020, thanks to federal COVID-19 emergency funding. The program has recently provided the maximum allotment to residents based on their household sizes.
SNAP Benefits Expiration
Holcomb's latest legislation, House Bill 1001, the SNAP benefits will have an expiration date of Apr. 16. The incident comes as the benefits were expected to end 30 days after the termination of the state's emergency declaration, which is set to end on Friday.
The governor's bill passed the Senate on Tuesday, and the House voted to concur Thursday afternoon. Holcomb told lawmakers who were anxious to end Indiana's emergency declaration that he would move forward with his decision if they could make sure that three pandemic measures could be maintained; enhanced funding for Medicaid, SNAP, and provisions allowing for the vaccination of children aged five to 11 years, as per IndyStar.
The situation comes as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the extension of SNAP benefits for his state for March. On Wednesday, the official announced that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) would provide more than $310 million in emergency SNAP food benefits for March. Authorities expect to provide funding to more than 1.5 million Texas households.
The expansion of the program will be provided on top of the more than $6.13 billion in benefits that Texans have received since April 2020. HHSC is responsible for administrating SNAP, a program that those in need can apply for at YourTexasBenefits.com. Texas residents can also utilize their Texas Benefits mobile app to manage their benefits from the program.
According to KXAN, in a statement, Abbott expressed his gratitude to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for extending what he called crucial benefits for millions of Texans. The governor said that the SNAP benefits had allowed many families in the state to put food on the table in the last two years.
Issues With the Program
On the other hand, in Colorado, a new report called the state's dispute-resolution process for SNAP benefits "a system in turmoil." Almost all residents in the region who go before an administrative court to discuss issues with food stamp benefits do not have the help of a lawyer.
The Colorado Center on Law and Poverty's latest report, "Barriers, Errors, and Due Process Denied," showed a system that was in turmoil and suggested that beneficiaries were in crisis. The report released on Thursday analyzed Coloradans' experiences with dealing with the adjudication system.
A lot of the people who receive funding from SNAP are able to do so without any issue, the report said. However, it suggested that when problems arise, including overpayment by the government or accusations of intentional program violations, the court system provides little chance of success to individuals, Lamar Ledger reported.
