Over 700,000 Wisconsinites expect to be impacted by termination of additional FoodShare benefits
Jelissa BurnsAPPLETON - Starting in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, an emergency federal program entitled anyone enrolled in FoodShare to additional benefits, determined by household size.
Almost three years later, some FoodShare holders still have been receiving these additional funds thanks to the federal program, but on Wednesday it was announced that the extra funds will end in February, affecting more than 700,000 individuals ― about 400,000 households.
Maureen Fitzgerald, vice president of government relations for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, said the cut will result in an average loss of $221 per month for those families. The loss of the emergency funds will result in a $78 million monthly loss to the entire state.
"The idea was that (the emergency allotments) were going to last while the public health emergency was in place, and the federal public health emergency is still in place but Congress, in December, decided to end these benefits in February," Fitzgerald said.
Two groups of FoodShare receivers that will be impacted by these cuts the most will be seniors and people with disabilities, Fitzgerald said.
"Prior to the pandemic, they often were receiving the minimum benefits a month," Fitzgerald said. "What will happen now is with these cuts, many families will go back to the minimum benefits, and that's $23 a month."
With these cuts happening soon, food pantries will start to see an increase in people coming in for emergency food. Fitzgerald said pantries have already started to see an increase before the additional benefits have ended.
"People in need are really struggling right now and this is just going to exascerbate that issue," Fitzgerald said.
While there's currently no word on if emergency funds will be reinstated, Fitzgerald urges FoodShare holders to make sure their information is updated and to ensure they are getting the correct amount of benefits for their households.
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"Because emergency allotments were in place and everyone was receiving the individual maximum, there wasn't a need to provide your medical expenses or to make sure that you're showing that you've got shelter and utility costs," Fitzgerald said.
Those enrolled should ensure that this information is correct and update their address, phone number and email with the Department of Health Services as it's anticipated that these cuts also will impact other programs.
You can apply for FoodShare and manage all of your information through the ACCESS Wisconsin website.
Reach Jelissa Burns at 920-226-4241 or jburns1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @burns_jelissa or on Instagram at burns_jelissa.