Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney (D-New Haven), Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) and Sen. Matt Lesser (D-Middletown) said Thursday they would seek “more detailed clarification” from the state Department of Human Services about the six-week delay of the summer EBT program.
Needy families in Connecticut were set to receive millions of dollars in food assistance from the federal government this week, but a day before the funds were due to arrive, the state Department of Human Services announced that payments for a new summer program would be delayed until August.
“Families who were counting on these payments over the summer will not receive them until their children begin preparing for the new school year,” the senators’ joint statement said.
“While delays and issues will occur, the lack of explanation for this change does not answer our constituents’ questions. This last-minute announcement will negatively impact thousands of families and increase food insecurity throughout our communities,” they said. “Summer programs need to be active during the summer, not near the end of the summer. We hope the Department of Social Services will provide more information about this delay and find ways to help families who may otherwise be in difficulty.”
DSS told families on Sunday, June 23, that eligible households will receive an additional $120 per child through the Summer Child Electronic Benefit Program, a federal food benefit launched this year to address summer food insecurity for students who receive free or reduced-price meals during the school year.
According to DSS, as many as 273,000 children statewide are eligible for the program, but on Saturday, June 22, the department announced in a Facebook post that “unforeseen delays” had delayed the program’s launch. DSS did not provide any further explanation, saying families would not receive the $120 deposit until early August.
In a statement emailed to the Courant, DSS Deputy Public Affairs Director Christine Stewart said Connecticut has the federal funding it needs for the program. Stewart said the state received its portion of its summer EBT allocation in May after the USDA approved the state’s initial plan for operating and administering the program in late April.
For more information on EBT issues, please see here.
