Oklahoma SNAP Recipients To See Cuts In Benefits

The Department of Human Services is urging the hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans who receive food benefits to prepare for cuts in the coming months.

DHS announced Wednesday that Oklahomans who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will see a decrease in their benefits beginning November 1. The benefits were increased in 2009 to offset the effects of the recession, but that increase will expire October 31.

Nearly 630,000 Oklahomans received SNAP benefits in August, a new record high for the state.

DHS says the decrease will vary from family to family, but warns some recipients may see a significant impact to their food budgets. For example, according to DHS, a family of four with no income and no other changes to their case will see a decrease of $36 in their monthly benefits. That's equivalent to a decrease of $1.40 per meal, per person, per day; or a loss of 21 meals per month.

DHS says the cuts will also have an economic impact on the state, with an estimated $66 million in lost revenue to Oklahoma from November 2013 through September 2014.

DHS is urging SNAP recipients to visit its website for links to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which provides resources to help people eat healthy meals on a low budget.

Visit the DHS website to learn more about SNAP