Maryland is the first state in the country with a plan to replace stolen SNAP benefits [View all]
Maryland became the first state this week to get federal approval for a plan to reimburse victims of food benefits fraud — and Gov. Wes Moore (D) included funding for the effort in a supplemental budget delivered to the General Assembly on Friday.
The Maryland Department of Human Services announced the plan to repay more than 3,800 victims more than $2.5 million in stolen benefits earlier in the week.
The plan comes as states across the country are dealing with theft of millions of dollars in stolen electronic benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Until recently, the federal nutrition program only allowed state agencies to use state funding to reimburse stolen benefits. A provision in the $1.7 trillion federal Consolidated Appropriations Act passed at the end of last year will allow Maryland to use federal funding to repay benefits stolen by card skimming between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2024.
Maryland Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-2nd), a leading advocate for SNAP reimbursement in Congress, applauded Maryland’s plan.
“With this federal approval, Maryland is once again leading by example in helping those who need it most,” Ruppersberger said. “SNAP theft is a despicable crime that preys on the most vulnerable among us and I am thrilled that many victims will be now be made whole.”
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/maryland-first-state-country-plan-replace-stolen-snap-benefits
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