USDA’s food assistance miscalculation means more money to Kansas recipients

The Kansas Department for Children and Families is working to update the process for paying out November benefits for Kansans who receive support from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program after a miscalculation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture)

TOPEKA — Guidelines from the federal government on November payments to Kansans using the food assistance program changed between Tuesday and Wednesday, and state officials are working to determine when those payments can be made.

“Late on Wednesday, Nov. 5, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent states new instructions about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program partial payments for November,” Department for Family and Children spokeswoman Erin La Row said in an email statement.

DCF is recalculating each household’s SNAP benefits based on the Nov. 5 guidance.

“We do not yet know the exact benefit amounts or when the updated payments will be sent out,” La Row said. “We encourage Kansans to monitor DCF’s federal government shutdown webpage and DCF social media for updates as they are available.”

On Thursday, the USDA said in a court filing that it had miscalculated how to adjust SNAP benefits, accounting for just $3 billion of a $4.65 billion fund the court had ordered USDA to pay out to states by Wednesday.

With the recalculation, SNAP beneficiaries can expect to receive roughly two-thirds of their usual payments, rather than 50% as initially reported.