by Ty Tagami | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — The one in eight Georgians who rely on food stamps to put meals on the table will start receiving their money on Tuesday.
The Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) said recipients who were supposed to receive deposits to their electronic benefit transfer cards last week will see the transactions post, but they will be getting less money than they normally do.
“SNAP recipients will receive up to 65% of their normal benefit amount depending on their household income and other deductions,” the agency announced Sunday after receiving yet another communique from the federal government about the distributions.
A DHS spokesperson confirmed Monday that the plans had not changed.
They are based on a message Saturday from Patrick Penn, a U.S. Department of Agriculture deputy under secretary overseeing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. His latest guidance warned states not to issue full benefits or risk financial consequences.
It was the sixth time the USDA had changed the rules for states since the first guidance went out a month ago, on Oct. 10.
Penn, who had told states last week that they could issue full benefits, said the new mandate was based on the decision Friday by the U.S. Supreme Court to grant a stay against an order by a federal judge in Rhode Island requiring the agency to immediately release full November funding.
Some recipients in Georgia normally begin receiving deposits on the fifth of each month. The payments roll out to others on odd dates through the 23rd. Anyone who normally would have received their November allotment by now will see the deposits Tuesday, the state said. Thereafter, the reduced deposits will return to the normal schedule.
