Georgia Division of Family and Children Services to issue March food stamps on staggered schedule

ATLANTA – Ongoing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants can anticipate receiving two distributions during the month of March, officials with the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services said.

Officials from DFCS announced Tuesday that recipients of SNAP will have access to half of their monthly benefits on or about March 2, and that the other half will be made available on the date of their regular monthly issuance.

February benefits were issued early on Jan. 14 because of the partial shutdown of the federal government. Officials said the split release for March is designed to ensure recipients get some benefits as early as possible to replenish their pantries while restoring the normal distribution schedule.

Officials said that, for March only, Georgia will divide benefits into two distributions for recipients of ongoing benefits. Timing the second distribution to reflect each person’s regular monthly benefit date will resume the normal staggered schedule, typically the 5th through the 23rd of the month. Current ongoing SNAP recipients will access half of their March benefits via their electronic benefits transfer cards the first week of March and will have to wait until their regularly scheduled issuance date for the other half to be loaded onto their EBT cards.

“What this means is that clients who received their last issuance on Jan. 23 will receive their first March issuance within 37 days on March 2,” DFCS officials said in a news release. “Clients who received their last issuance on Jan. 14 will receive their first March issuance within 46 days, also on March 2. Issuing the remaining March benefits on the staggered schedule will allow distributions in April and future months to remain on the normal issuance cycle.”

While all ongoing SNAP households will receive their initial March benefits on March 2, they will need to use the last two digits of their assigned client number to determine the date of their final March allotment. Officials with DFCS said they are working closely with the department’s EBT vendor, Conduent, and with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service to provide this staggered delivery for all ongoing SNAP recipients.

Approximately 1.6 million Georgians rely on SNAP assistance to feed their families. SNAP benefits are generally released over a 19-day cycle between the fifth day and 23rd day of each month.

DFCS administers SNAP, a federally-funded program that provides monthly benefits to low-income households to help pay for the cost of food. DFCS is responsible for issuance of SNAP, Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families assistance to low-income families; assistance for out-of-work parents to help them get back on their feet, as well as multiple support services and programs to help families in need.

Georgians who have trouble using their EBT card or needing to check the status of their benefits should call 1-888-421-3281. Account information is also available 24 hours a day through the Georgia Gateway online site at https://gateway.ga.gov/access.

DFCS will post ongoing updates on the agency website at https://dfcs.georgia.gov/.