SNAP Benefits Schedule Is Changing

BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is beginning a three-month process of transitioning its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits schedule to distribute benefits more evenly throughout each month. Rather than receiving their benefits during the 1st through 14th of each month, SNAP households will soon receive them between the 1st and 23rd of each month.

The new regular schedule, which will go into effect in February 2021, will allow for more even stocking and staffing at grocery stores and more consistent access to a variety of foods for shoppers, as households typically do their shopping on or shortly after the day their benefits are issued.

DCFS also received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to issue supplemental SNAP benefits for December to families not already receiving the maximum allotment for their household size. The supplemental benefits are scheduled to be loaded onto recipients’ EBT cards on Friday, December 4. In prior months, supplements have been issued after regular SNAP benefits, but for December, some households will receive their supplement before their regular benefit. The maximum monthly allotments by household size can be found at www.dcfs.la.gov/page/snap-allotment-amounts.

New SNAP Schedule

Over the next three months, SNAP issuance dates will transition to the new schedule, with no recipient going more than 40 days between monthly issuances, per federal regulations. Recipients who are elderly or disabled will continue to receive their benefits on the 1st through the 4th of each month. Other recipients’ issuance dates will shift according to the following schedule:

*The last month in which SNAP benefits were issued on the “old schedule” was August 2020. Since then, benefits have been issued early, on the 1st of each month for September, October and November, due to the overlapping circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple hurricanes. 

For example, recipients whose Social Security Number ends in 9, and who are not classified as elderly or disabled, will receive their December benefits on Dec. 10, their January benefits on Jan. 18, and their February benefits on Feb. 23. Their regular benefit issuance date will then be the 23rd of each month.

SNAP recipients should familiarize themselves with their upcoming issuance dates and budget accordingly.

For more information about SNAP benefits changes, visit www.dcfs.la.gov/snapstorms.

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SNAP Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, religious creed, disability, age, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (AD-3027) found online at: How to File a Complaint, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

1. Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
2. Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity employer.