LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas Department of Human Services Secretary Janet Mann is cautioning that additional layoffs and diminishing program support will take place if the government shutdown continues.
Mann said if the shutdown is still in effect going into the Nov. 1 weekend, SNAP benefits will be disrupted and 34 additional DHS employees will be furloughed. If the shutdown continues through Nov. 7, she said, DHS will furlough a further 1,500 employees and temporarily close offices in the state due to a lack of federal funding, beginning on Monday, Nov. 10.
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“The government shutdown has put enormous strain on many services we offer, and we are deeply concerned that important benefits Arkansans rely on will suffer as a result,” Mann said. “First and foremost, this will be painful for the beneficiaries we serve, and we regret that we have been placed in this position. It will also be painful for the hundreds of employees within our agency who will not be paid for as long as this shutdown continues.”
DHS officials had previously warned about a SNAP disruption if the shutdown continued into November. They are now stating that the federally funded Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Social Services Block Grant and Community Service Block Grant programs will be suspended.
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Other services at risk are programs within the Arkansas Department of Education, Area Agencies on Aging, Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, the Arkansas Spinal Cord Commission, Community Action Agencies, the Division of Services for the Blind, and multiple TANF subgrantees…