SNAP

A lot of people don't think twice about buying milk, says Teresa Calderez. "But there are lots of us out here who can't buy a gallon of milk when we need it."

The lawsuit alleges Missouri is wrongly depriving thousands of low-income residents access to food assistance and violating federal SNAP rules. It also argues that the state’s overburdened call center particularly affects those with disabilities.

Emergency allotments that took effect in 2020 for those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will end next month. Many expect the decrease will be especially challenging for low-income families.

Thousands of other Missouri families are waiting for benefits called summer Pandemic EBT, a federal program administered by states that provides a one-time deposit of $391 in grocery benefits for each eligible child. Compared to every other surrounding state, Missouri’s delays have been especially unusual.

Despite a federal lawsuit, callers to Missouri's hotline handling SNAP benefits waited on hold an average of an hour and a half in August before being connected to agents.

The Farm Bill, that sets important policy on everything from crop insurance to SNAP benefits, is up for renewal next year. But the results of the midterm elections may not shed much light on how that legislation will end up.

Missouri is one of just seven states that still hasn’t been approved by the federal government to administer summer emergency food benefits, called Pandemic EBT. Officials expect benefits to be dispersed before the end of the year.

Kansas in 2020 settled a lawsuit over the way the state’s foster care system treated children. Has the state lived up to its promises? Plus: A federal program aimed at helping low-income communities access food pays its own employees so little that some workers qualify for food stamps themselves.

The Supplemental Nutrition Education Program (SNAP-Ed) is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and helps SNAP recipients learn how to eat healthy food on a budget. Its employees complain of wages so low that they themselves qualify for SNAP.

The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health is set for Sept. 28. But specifics of the conference, including a detailed schedule and guest list, are fuzzy.

A federal lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Social Services alleges that its “dysfunctional” call line and burdensome application process for SNAP benefits violates federal law and applicants' constitutional rights.

The Winter Paralympics are beginning in Beijing, where Topeka native Dan Cnossen will compete as one of the world's best Paralympian cross-country skiers. Plus, Missouri food stamp applicants are suing over the state over a "dysfunctional" system that's shutting them out of benefits.