Food Assistance

You can still use current benefits

• If you already have funds on your EBT card, you can still use these benefits, even if the shutdown continues into November.  
• SNAP benefits do not expire right away. For this short-term situation, your current balance will stay available while we wait for federal operations to resume.

Regular SNAP could be delayed

• Regular SNAP benefits are usually issued during the first nine days of each month. If the shutdown continues into November, no new Regular SNAP benefits can be issued until the federal government reopens.
• When federal operations resume, ODHS will issue November benefits as quickly as possible.
• The timing will depend on national system capacity because Oregon must coordinate with federal partners, vendors and other states to process benefit files.

Expedited SNAP could be delayed

• People approved for Expedited SNAP, also called emergency food benefits, will receive their October prorated benefits, but November benefits can’t be issued while the federal shutdown continues.
• You may see November benefits listed in your ONE Online account. These are in “paused” status and will not load to your EBT card until federal funding resumes.

Jobs Participant Incentive (JPI) will be issued as normal

• The JPI is a $35 monthly food benefit for working single parent families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. 
• These food benefits can be used and will not be paused during the shutdown.

You can still use Summer EBT benefits

• All Summer EBT benefits have already been issued. 
• You can continue using them for 122 days after the date they were added to your EBT card. 
• If your benefits have not expired, they remain available and can be used normally during the shutdown.

Double Up Food Bucks

• Double Up Food Bucks is a program that lets people using SNAP double the value of their SNAP dollars on fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets, farm stands, CSAs and grocery stores in Oregon.
• While SNAP benefits are paused, you may still use remaining SNAP benefits on your card to qualify for Double Up Food Bucks at eligible locations where the program is operating. 
• If a market or store is open and participating, your SNAP funds plus the matching Double Up benefit can still be redeemed.

What happens after the shutdown ends

When federal funding resumes:

• As soon as possible, ODHS will issue food benefits.
• Because many states use the same Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) vendor for electronic food dollars, there will be a national queue for processing and Oregon’s files may need to be sent in groups to avoid delays.
• People who normally receive SNAP later in the month may get their benefits sooner than others as files are processed.