Ohioans who receive federal food assistance will see partial payments as soon as Nov. 12.
Most people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will receive less than 65% of their monthly benefits for November, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said Nov. 10. The exact amount will depend on income, and some recipients may not receive payments this week if they’re near the cutoff for eligibility.
During a normal month, about 1.4 million Ohioans receive $264 million in SNAP payments that are staggered through the 20th.
The first round of benefits will go to people whose issuance date has passed, according to a department spokesperson. Those who get payments later in the month will receive them as scheduled.
Ohioans will receive a notice explaining the change in their benefits.
The state’s announcement came after days of legal wrangling over how much the federal government should spend on SNAP during the shutdown. States, nonprofits and cities, including Columbus, sued the the Trump administration and argued it should use contingency funds to make November payments.
Following a Nov. 7 Supreme Court order, the U.S. Department of Agriculture instructed states to issue partial benefits and threatened to penalize those that don’t comply, Reuters reported. The next day, a federal appeals court ruled that SNAP must be fully funded.
It’s not yet clear if the Trump administration will challenge the appeals court ruling.
Amid the back-and-forth, Ohio moved to spend up to $25 million on food banks and aid for low-income families. The state sent $7 million to eight food banks and reserved the rest for Ohioans enrolled in Ohio Works First who are at or below 50% of the federal poverty level. State officials will decide on a weekly basis whether to provide the additional payments for people in that program.
An end to the shutdown − and uncertainty for SNAP recipients − may be in sight. The U.S. Senate is moving forward with a bipartisan plan to reopen the government and provide more funding for SNAP through September 2026, USA TODAY reported. The legislation also needs support from the U.S. House.
(This story was updated with new information.)
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@gannett.com or @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohioans will get partial SNAP benefits soon. Here’s what you need to know
Reporting by Haley BeMiller, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
