Clay County health officials warn of partial SNAP disruption, confirm MFIP cash will continue; WIC funding uncertain

Quinn, a county health and human services presenter, told the Clay County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 4 that a federal court ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use its contingency fund to resume SNAP benefits but that the contingency fund will cover “only about half of the monthly allotment of SNAP benefits nationwide,” and that it will take weeks for states to receive and process partial payments.

The presenter said Minnesota is still awaiting federal authorization to disburse the contingency funds locally and warned that newly certified SNAP enrollees in November are unlikely to receive benefits under the contingency distribution. “Anyone that is a new SNAP enrollee, certified in November will likely not receive those funds,” the county presenter said.

County staff also explained how MFIP (Minnesota Family Investment Program) benefits are being handled. MFIP combines cash and food assistance; the county said state officials split the two components so that the cash portion will go out in November but the food portion remains paused while SNAP is unsettled. “The cash assistance component of MFIP will go out as normal in November,” the county presenter said.

Sue from the county WIC program described WIC27s immediate situation: the local program was running about one month behind on federal reimbursements but said recent supplemental national allocations and state action pushed WIC funding into mid-November. She told the board that the National WIC Association reported an additional $450,000,000 was allocated and will be dispersed soon, “estimated about 3 weeks of funding,” but cautioned that timing remains fluid.

All presenters urged residents to continue using existing EBT balances and warned about scams. County staff said EBT card balances that existed on Nov. 1 remain usable and that approved retailers will remain authorized for EBT purchases. They also said both SNAP and WIC recipients have been targeted by fraudsters using texts, calls and phony websites to steal card numbers, PINs or other personal information. “These are 100% scams designed to steal the card balances,” the county presenter said; WIC staff added that WIC will never request private information by phone, text or email.

On state relief, staff said Gov. Wallace announced a $4,000,000 emergency allocation to Minnesota food shelves distributed through the existing food-shelf network; each food shelf and tribal partner will receive a $5,000 base amount with additional amounts determined by need. Presenters said local food shelves A Place for Hope and Dorothy Day Food Pantry have informal confirmation of the $5,000 base allocation but that a statewide allocation formula had not yet been published.

Why it matters: SNAP and WIC help low-income families buy groceries while MFIP supports cash needs such as rent and utilities. County staff said they are coordinating technical system changes so payments can be issued quickly once federal authorization arrives, and they urged residents to contact county staff or EBT customer service if they suspect fraud or card compromise.