West Virginians won’t get SNAP benefits on time due to shutdown: DoHS

The West Virginia Department of Human Services announced in a Facebook post that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits approved on or after Oct. 16 will be delayed. November SNAP benefits may also be delayed if the shutdown is ongoing.

SNAP is a federally funded program overseen by states that low-income individuals and families use to purchase food using Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards.

Jackie Lee Tichnell, a resident of the Union Mission Men’s Shelter in Charleston, said the delay will hurt him and his family.

“My dad, he’s a senior citizen. He’s 87 years old, and he gets Social Security. He only gets like $91 of SNAP a month,” Tichnell said. “Well, if that gets put on hold or postponed, he’s gonna have to sacrifice something just so he can eat.”

Tichnell, who says he is on disability, said he also depends on the program.

“I only get $64 a month, which I’m thankful for, but if they take that away, right there is taking food away,” he said. “That’s one thing the government needs to realize. With all this shutdown stuff, the only people they’re really hurting are the communities that really need it.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 200,000 West Virginians rely on SNAP benefits.

In a statement, the West Virginia Department of Human Services said it has been instructed by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to delay the release of benefits due to the ongoing shutdown.

“Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, the United States Department of Agriculture Food & Nutrition Service has directed the West Virginia Department of Human Services and other state SNAP agencies to delay the issuance of October 2025 SNAP benefits approved on or after October 16, 2025. We have been notified that it is very likely the federal government shutdown will delay November 2025 SNAP benefits for all recipients if Congress does not take action to reopen the government in the coming days.”

It remains to be seen how future benefits may be affected.