COLUMBIA, S.C. — The S.C. Department of Social Services confirmed a plan Tuesday to continue offering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, in February during the government shutdown.
This comes after a federal push to ensure low-income Americans have access to nutritional programs as the shutdown continues.
In an email sent to News 19, officials with DSS say SNAP recipients who received benefits in January and are eligible through February will have their benefits available on their EBT card Jan. 17, 2019.
This is expected to affect around 231,000 households, according to officials, and is not considered a bonus payment.
"SNAP recipients will not receive another benefit in February, even if the federal government reopens," officials say. "Households are strongly encouraged to carefully plan and budget their benefits accordingly."
At the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), S.C. DSS will continue to accept and process new applications and recertifications as normal.
"The majority of recipients whose SNAP benefits are due for recertification this month will not be included in the January 17th issuance," officials say. "Any SNAP recipient whose recertification is approved after January 16th will receive their February benefits on their normal monthly issuance date in February."
For more information, please contact your local DSS office or call DSS Connect at 1-800-616-1309.