The good news is that the federal government shutdown won’t be affecting your Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP) benefits next month if you’re a recipient of the “food-stamp” benefits.
The warning is that if you’re used to optimizing those benefits through the state’s Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) — which encourages eating fresh produce — you need to keep a balance in your SNAP account into February.
Because of the shutdown, SNAP recipients received their February allotment on their electronic benefit transfer cards, as of Jan. 17, but they need to keep part of that benefit on their accounts if they expect to draw HIP benefits in February, says Winton Pitcoff, director of the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, which advocates for the HIP program to encourage recipients to make use of the benefits through winter markets, community supported agriculture outlets and farm stands.
“The two programs are linked,” he said. “If you run out of SNAP money before the end of the month, you can’t earn HIP money back onto your card. You have to have and spend SNAP money to get HIP (credits) on your card.”
HIP essentially allows SNAP recipients to double their benefits by put $1 credit back for every $1 worth of fresh produce purchased. “The issue is one of budgeting,” he said. “People are used to getting (SNAP) money every month and spending that every month. Some are very aware and know how much they have and know how to spend down. Some just use it until they hit zero. But because HIP runs on the calendar month, to leverage that HIP money you have to have a balance after Jan. 31.”
The problem is exacerbated by the additional strains on the food assistance program now, Pitcoff said, because the addition of furloughed federal workers in the state during the shutdown means that those workers are showing up at food pantries because they need additional support.
“The overall food system is strained right now,” Pitcoff said.
In addition, with the state’s roughly $5 million allocation for HIP running out, he said, the program is due to be suspended as of March 1, with a resumption date to be determined for the remaining fund to last through the June 30 end of the fiscal year. Pitcoff said he is beginning to work on advocating for additional money for the program as part of the state budget being developed for the fiscal year that begins July 1.