Missourians to get full SNAP benefits following deal to end shutdown

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) -- The Missouri Department of Social Services has started working to get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients their benefits after the president signed legislation ending the federal government shutdown.

The department said in a news release Thursday that it was working to deliver SNAP benefits to Missourians “as quickly as possible.”

“With federal funding back in place, our team is moving swiftly to issue full November benefits,” DSS Director Jess Bax said in a news release. “We know how important this assistance is to Missouri households, especially after the uncertainty of recent weeks, and we thank the public for being patient with us as we navigated communicating effectively.”

The department said it will continue to distribute partial benefits until its systems are updated to distribute full benefits. SNAP recipients do not need to do anything to get their benefits.

The state started transferring partial benefits on Tuesday amid conflicting court decisions over whether the Trump administration had to fully fund November SNAP benefits. Those benefits became unavailable because of the federal government shutdown that started Oct. 1 and ended this week.

In the meantime, governments and private charities had chipped in with extra help for needy people.

Click here to follow the original article.