LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Families that got help through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will soon have a harder time putting food on the table.
Federal officials are set to roll back pandemic-era increases to benefits that goes into effect in April.
The Department of Agriculture had second payments and emergency allotments that were tied to the public health emergency.
But on December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 that reduced benefits nationwide and will affect roughly 41 million Americans.
Here in the Silver State, the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services is the state agency that manages the SNAP program.
The agency said starting in April, the first monthly payment will be the only benefit that program participants will receive.
It's an adjustment that state officials said will be hard for many to make.
"The end of these supplemental benefits for Nevada families will decrease the amount some working families and seniors are receiving by an average of 80-90%," Robert Thompson, Administrator of the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services.
The agency says they've issued more than $1 billion in SNAP benefits to Nevadans during the public health emergency.
The Department of Agriculture said they're also increasing the budgets for food banks across the country since they're anticipating demand to go up ahead of benefits being reduced.
Many families have also been reporting their SNAP benefits are being taken by thieves.
"It is believed that the stolen benefits are a result of the EBT card being skimmed in Nevada and the card cloned to be used in another state. In response to the increase, the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services is developing a state plan with guidance from USDA Food and Nutrition Services to address the reimbursement of stolen benefits, attempting to validate the claim of stolen benefits and tips to minimize or prevent stolen benefits."
The Nevada Department of Welfare and Supportive Services says if you have an EBT card, use the EBT Edge app to protect your benefits by freezing and/or locking your card when you're not using it and block internet and/or out-of-state transactions.
You can report stolen benefits to immediately obtain a new EBT card and PIN number and file a police report with local law enforcement.
The USDA said Congress recently passed a law that will ensure participants who are victims of card skimming or cloning have their benefits replaced. The law requires states to replace those benefits between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2024.
