Eligible Kentuckians should see their full SNAP benefits load onto their cards as early as today after the state worked overnight to process the payments, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Saturday morning.
Kentuckians can check their benefits through the DCBS website or their Self-Service Portal accounts.
The update comes less than 24 hours after Beshear said Kentucky had received federal approval to fully fund the benefits, which were suspended on November 1 due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Nearly 600,000 Kentuckians rely on SNAP to supplement their grocery budgets, according to a release from Beshear’s office.
“Once again, members of Team Kentucky worked through the night to process SNAP benefits to ensure their fellow Kentuckians didn’t have to wait a minute longer to receive the support they need to feed their loved ones,” Beshear said.
Kentucky was one of the first states to process both the partial benefits approved on October 31 and the full benefits approved on Friday, the release says. A federal judge ruled in favor of Kentucky and 24 other states and the District of Columbia on October 31, ordering the Trump administration to partially restore the funding after the coalition challenged what they called an unlawful suspension of SNAP.
Before that ruling, Beshear had declared a state of emergency and directed multiple stopgap measures to blunt the impact of delayed federal assistance. Those included sending $5 million from the state’s budget reserve to Feeding Kentucky food banks, authorizing the Kentucky National Guard to help staff food banks, and allocating more than $12 million in state funds in November to temporarily support the federal TANF program.
During his November 13 Team Kentucky Update, Beshear recognized the Department for Community Based Services and the Office of Application Technology Services as the week’s Team Kentucky All-Stars for twice working overnight to process benefits during the shutdown.
“After notification from the federal government, these folks worked through the night to ensure their neighbors had access to food through their SNAP benefits in the morning,” Beshear said. “To these folks: You’re making a difference, and I am proud to work alongside you.”
