Federal help for food-stamp theft victims is ending – but the problem isn’t.
Congress just let a reimbursement program lapse for victims of electronic benefits theft. An extension didn’t make it into the short-term spending bill that lawmakers passed late Friday to avert a government shutdown.
Now Ohio food stamp, or SNAP, recipients whose accounts are drained by thieves won’t have a way to get that money back. Reimbursement is still available in cases where the theft took place before Dec. 21 if victims apply within the next few months.
Meanwhile, theft reports are still climbing in Cuyahoga County.
Since the start of this month, the county has received a record-high 2,051 requests for reimbursement. Last December, officials only received 33.
Kevin Gowan, the county’s director of job and family services, described the uptick as “alarming” during a recent news conference. The county is on track to repay $1.5 million to $1.6 million in stolen benefits this month, using the federal money that’s drying up.