http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Josie/Where%20We%20Live%2003-03-2011.mp3
More than 336,000 residents of Connecticut use food stamps – up over 30% in the past year.
This program, now known as SNAP - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs – provides an average of $263 a month for each household on the program.
But with demand way up, the state has fallen down on the job… recent reports show that Connecticut ranks as one of the worst states in the nation in terms of processing food stamp applications on time and paying out accurate levels of benefits. Representative Peter Tercyak, who co-chairs the Human Services Committee says the state’s record on providing SNAP services is “too horrible to describe credibly.”
To give an example – in the percentage of cases where food stamp benefits are denied or terminated without due cause – the state ranks 53rd…putting us behind Puerto Rico and Guam.
If the CT Departmen of Social Services doesn’t improve, the state could face financial sanctions. Today we'll learn a bit more about how SNAP works – and who it serves.