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Anson County DSS warns SNAP benefits may be delayed after federal shutdown; local food banks to assist
Summary
Lula Jackson, Anson County Department of Social Services director, told commissioners that federal shutdown-related disruptions to NCFAST could delay or reduce November SNAP/FNS benefit issuances; the county is coordinating with food banks and will post resource lists.
Lula Jackson, director of the Anson County Department of Social Services, told the Board of Commissioners that federal funding disruptions tied to a federal government shutdown could delay or reduce November SNAP (FNS) benefit issuances for county residents. "We were informed that, based on the federal shutdown, there was a probability that FNS benefits would not be issued for November," Jackson said, noting state guidance provided Oct. 30 and later updates on Nov. 3 indicating partial funds might be available.
Jackson said the state’s NCFAST eligibility system must be adjusted to issue reduced benefits and then route payments to EBT cards; that process, she said, was expected to take place after Nov. 8. She cautioned the board that precise percentages and timing were unclear and that administrative reimbursement rates for FNS staff work were uncertain and evolving. "That could change by tomorrow morning," Jackson told commissioners as she presented the most current information she had received.
The department has been coordinating with local food banks as a short-term referral option and will post an up-to-date resource list on the county website and the DSS Facebook page. Jackson also said heating-assistance funds earmarked for older residents—about $164,000 for Anson County—remain available and that the county will continue sending state notices to recipients. The department plans to circulate state letters and DHHS guidance to the public as they are received.
The board did not take a formal vote on funding changes; Jackson said she would relay new state updates to the board as soon as they arrive. The immediate next step is public information: the county will publish resource contacts and the DHHS guidance link for residents seeking food or emergency assistance.
