Buncombe County Health and Human Services officials told the board Friday that the federal government shutdown is already disrupting benefit flows and could sharply reduce grocery purchasing power in the county if it continues into November.

Why it matters: County directors outlined concrete local impacts — including that SNAP benefits may not be loaded for November and that WIC is funded through Nov. 15 — and described contingency planning with community partners and internal staff redeployment to protect service continuity.

David (director of Health and Human Services) told the board county staff are monitoring sparse and intermittent federal guidance and are building contingency plans. He said WIC benefits are funded through Nov. 15 at current spend rates, but “come November 1, there would be no new benefits loaded onto people’s EBT cards for supplemental nutrition assistance program” unless federal action changes. Philip (benefits staff) confirmed that SNAP applications and recertifications can continue but that no new benefits are expected to load in November absent congressional action.

County officials gave local-scale figures they said illustrate the stakes. The department estimates it distributes about $7,000,000 in SNAP and WIC benefits each month in Buncombe County; because those dollars are spent locally, officials estimate the programs generate roughly $13,000,000 in monthly economic impact and about $155,000,000 per year in multiplier effects. Separately, the department typically receives about $838,000 in federal revenue each week; those reimbursements are not being received while the shutdown continues.

Board members were told the county is taking three parallel steps: tracking state and federal communications daily; working with nonprofit partners such as MANNA Food Bank and ABCCM to plan referrals and messages; and preparing internal contingency plans to redeploy staff if needed. David said staff morale is a concern and the leadership team is weighing communications timing and content so as not to create premature alarm while ensuring people who will lose benefits know where to go for help.

On staffing and finance, David said the county’s finance office and leadership are still determining whether the county will be reimbursed retroactively for federal funds not paid during the shutdown. “We don’t know. We’re not sure,” he said.

The board asked procedural questions about whether county employees would receive retroactive pay and how assigned Medicaid primary care physicians will handle newly auto-enrolled members; staff advised caution and said they will raise those issues in the county’s ongoing conversations with the state and managed-care plans.

Looking ahead, officials said the department will continue to accept and process applications and recertifications for SNAP, WIC and TANF where the federal rules allow, while coordinating a local response if benefits pause. They asked the board to note that a prolonged shutdown would shift costs to local nonprofits and the county and could increase demand for other assistance programs.

County staff urged residents and partner agencies to watch county communications and to prepare for the possibility that November benefit cycles could be affected. The department will continue daily monitoring and said it expects to provide additional guidance to the board and the public as soon as more concrete federal or state instructions arrive.

Board members did not take formal action on the shutdown at the meeting; the discussion centered on status updates, risk assessments and contingency planning.