Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Press Release

DHS Asks FoodShare Members to Be Aware of March Benefit Letters

Automatically generated letters will say no benefits are available in March because of federal government shutdown

By - Jan 18th, 2019 01:38 pm

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) says FoodShare members should be aware that some letters they receive will say they are getting no benefits in March due to the federal government shutdown.

Our top priority is to ensure the needs of Wisconsin residents are met, and to share information with members, partners, and stakeholders as the situation evolves. DHS continues to work with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to understand the impacts the shutdown may have on March benefits. As FoodShare benefits are 100 percent federally funded, those benefits have not been guaranteed.

However, the letters are automatically generated as part of normal system processing, and represent the current scenario of no federal funding for FoodShare in March. The letters will include this note, whether the applicant or member is enrolled in FoodShare or not:

Note:  If you have applied or are enrolled in FoodShare, your benefits may be impacted by the federal government shutdown. This means you may get a $0.00 benefit in any month until the shutdown ends. You cannot ask for a fair hearing for this change.

DHS is working with FNS, as well as other federal and state agencies to explore options for funding benefits in March. We will notify members when we receive additional information about funding availability. DHS will continue to post up-to-date information on our FoodShare webpage.

DHS wants to remind members that February FoodShare benefits will be available on QUEST cards as early as January 20. Members that get these early February benefits will not get additional FoodShare benefits on their QUEST cards in February, so members need to budget and plan accordingly.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

Mentioned in This Press Release

Recent Press Releases by Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Wisconsin Wayfinder Celebrates One Year of Supporting Families with Special Health Care Needs

More than 2,200 families and nearly 670 providers and professionals helped

Salmonella Infections Linked to Cucumbers Sold in Wisconsin

Three Wisconsinites ill, cucumbers recalled, Wisconsinites urged to check homes for them

DHS Encourages Wisconsinites to ‘Be Antibiotic Aware’ This Respiratory Virus Season

Using antibiotics when they're not necessary can do more harm than good

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us