Indiana will distribute March food stamps in two installments because of shutdown

More than half a million Hoosiers will receive their March food stamp benefits in two parts, a residual effect of the partial government shutdown that occurred earlier this year.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients will have access to half of their March benefits on Feb. 22, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration announced Friday. The other half will be distributed on recipients' regularly scheduled March dates. 

SNAP benefits, otherwise known as food stamps, are usually issued in alphabetical order each month over a 19-day period. April benefits are expected to be released on a normal schedule.

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The nearly 585,000 Hoosiers enrolled in the program received their February benefits in their entirety on Jan. 16 as concerns arose regarding the program's continued funding during the government shutdown, which ended later that month. 

The early release date also meant recipients in Indiana received their benefits as many as five weeks ahead of schedule and expected not to receive any benefits during the month of February. Splitting the March benefits in half shortens the gap for those who had to stretch their benefits over the month and a half until the next presumed distribution. 

More than 135,000 Marion County residents received food stamps in January, according to FSSA statistics, with the average issuance equaling $231.22 per person, up from an average of $123.68 the month before.

Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at 317-444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.