Food stamp cutoff looms for 9,000 in Ky

About 9,000 people in eight Kentucky counties including Jefferson will lose food stamps Sunday under a change in federal policy that limits aid to people who have no children and are considered able to work.

Advocates who work with the hungry say they are worried that many people may not understand the changes that include work requirements and don't realize they are about to lose benefits through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

"We are aware of it and very concerned about it," said Tamara Sandberg, executive director of the Kentucky Association of Food Banks. "Many families are still struggling to find work that pays enough to put food on the table."

The loss of benefits in the eight counties marks the end of a temporary expansion of benefits by the federal government dating to 2008 because of the recession. The federal government has terminated the expansion in Jefferson and seven other counties where the economy has deemed to have improved sufficiently, state officials said.

To keep the SNAP benefits, low-income adults must show they are complying with a federal directive to work at least 20 hours a week or participate in employment training. About 9,000 such individuals have not done so and will lose benefits Sunday, according to the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which administers the federally funded SNAP program in Kentucky.

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The change affects a group the federal government considers able-bodied adults, ages 18-49, without dependents who are low-income enough to qualify for food stamps.

Besides people in Jefferson County, the change affects Bullitt, Hardin, Fayette, Daviess, Henderson, McCracken and Warren counties, according to a news release from the cabinet. The state's other 112 counties are not affected, based on economic indicators, cabinet spokesman Doug Hogan said.

Cabinet officials began notifying people by letter in November of the change and have followed up with additional notices over the past five months, the release said.

In Ohio, a similar change caused significant disruption in 2013 when all but 16 of the state's 88 counties were cut from the expanded SNAP benefits after state officials chose not to renew them, said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.

"My advice is to brace for what's going to happen," Hamler-Fugitt said. "You will have more people turning to food pantries and soup kitchens, and it's not a good thing."

Hamler-Fugitt said many people in Ohio affected by the change either didn't receive notices or didn't understand them.

"They had no idea what happened," she said. "They started showing up at groceries and their SNAP cards didn't work."

Hamler-Fugitt said those affected by the change tend to be impoverished, poorly educated and often have physical or mental health problems that limit their ability to work. Many work temporary jobs, such as day labor, construction or other jobs and have difficulty proving they work the required 20 hours a week to keep their benefits, she said.

Meanwhile, hunger and lack of means to pay for food are growing problems in Kentucky,  despite some indicators the economy is improving and people are returning to work, advocates said.

"Right now, Dare to Care continues to see record levels of need," said Brian Riendeau, executive director of the organization that collects and distributes food in the Louisville and Southern Indiana region.

Over the past 12 months, Riendeau said Dare to Care has distributed more food than in any year of the previous 47 years it's been in business.

Sandberg said food pantries throughout Kentucky that serve some 53,000 people a week can't keep up with demand. Demand often surges toward the end of the month when families exhaust resources including SNAP benefits, she said.

"We already are really struggling to keep up with the demand for food assistance," she said.

Kentucky's overall poverty rate is 19 percent, and one in four children live in poverty.

Sandberg said her organization's survey shows that over one-third of Kentucky families don't have enough food to meet their needs.

About 680,600 Kentuckians receive SNAP benefits, according to state officials The average benefit is $120 per month.

Food advocates pointed out SNAP is meant to supplement a family's ability to buy food and generally is not enough by itself to feed a family or individual.

"SNAP benefits are part of the basket of resources our clients use to get the food they need," said Dare to Care's Riendeau.

Riendeau said he worries about the abrupt change to the SNAP program. "I don't have a sense of what the impact will be at this point," he said.

Contact reporter  Deborah Yetter at 502-582-4228 or at dyetter@courier-journal.com.

INFORMATION

Cabinet officials said anyone with questions about their SNAP benefits or who believe they may have been wrongly cut off may call the SNAP call center at (855) 306-8959 or the cabinet ombudsman at (800) 372-2973.