CT one-time SNAP grocery card program frustrates residents
“No one ever contacted me back.” Out of an estimated 25,000 eligible people, only 1,425 have received the benefit as of Oct. 2
Jennifer Sanchez of New Haven had been banking on a promised $300 state-funded grocery card since her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were suddenly cut off in July. But she hasn’t heard anything for nearly two months about her application or received any money.
“I’m literally almost down to nothing in my house because a couple weeks ago I just spent $300 on food. But with $300, that’s not enough because everything is still high,” said the 33-year-old certified nurse’s aide. She applied for the one-time assistance in August through her local community action agency – entities the state Department of Social Services enlisted to run the program.
Sanchez is not alone.
Out of an estimated 25,000 eligible people, only 1,425 have received the benefit as of Oct. 2, DSS confirmed. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, announced in August the $8.5 million in grocery cards were being released. The goal was to help certain SNAP recipients who lost benefits due to work rules that took effect in December 2025.
"Connecticut will not stand by as the Trump administration uses hunger as a weapon against working families, veterans, and our most vulnerable populations," Lamont said at the time.
When asked about the delay, Christine Stuart, a DSS spokesperson, noted it was a new program “created as a result of actions taken by Republicans in Washington” and it takes time to set a new initiative. The administration, she said, is "committed to ensuring it is effective."
“DSS is working closely with our CAAs (community action agencies) and partner state agencies to ensure this benefit reaches those impacted by these new work rules,” she said in a written statement. Anyone who received a text from DSS advising them of their eligibility should contact their local CAA so they can learn what they need to do to still take advantage of the program.
Not everyone who lost their SNAP benefits is eligible for Connecticut’s card. For example, H.R. 1, the federal law known as the One Big Beautiful Act, ended coverage for people who don’t have legal immigration status.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates H.R. 1 cuts nearly $187 billion nationwide in federal funding for SNAP. DSS originally projected a total number of 36,000 people in Connecticut would then lose SNAP due to the law. However, a new analysis from CT DataHaven estimates the increased work requirements has led to 55,000 people no longer receiving food benefits between June 2025 and June 2026.
The Connecticut Project, which invested $150,000 to get the word out about the grocery cards, has heard from individuals who’ve faced challenges obtaining the assistance. Of the more than 4,000 people who completed the screening, about 89% qualified for the card, but of the people who have shared about their experience, only 6% had received one.
“No one has gotten back to me after I left a message weeks ago,” said a Newington resident who shared their story with The Connecticut Project. “I’ve been waiting weeks for a call back.”
“I left voicemail and emailed Community Action and no one ever contacted me back for the grocery card,” wrote one resident from New Haven. “It’s much needed for my son and I since we got cut off as of 5/2026. Not eating well or enough and it’s affecting health.”
Kate Reeves, a director at The Connecticut Project, said the stories have been consistent: long wait times, no call backs, logistical challenges of going in-person to the community action agencies for identify verification, and the inability for people to receive a physical gift card. The program is a digital card loaded onto a person’s smart phone and can only be used at stores that accept tap-to-pay technology. Walmart, the largest grocery, only began rolling out tap-to-pay on Aug. 24 at select locations.
“We’re seeing the same repetitive stories over and over and over again,” Reeves said.
These delays come as the program is scheduled to end Nov. 30. Stuart said the deadline “will be extended if necessary to make sure everyone who needs help receives it.”
When Lamont announced the grocery card initiative, he said the prepaid virtual cards would not be loaded onto existing SNAP EBT cards. Instead, DSS enlisted the nine community action agencies that serve Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns, and the Connecticut Association for Community Action (CAFCA), to distribute the funds. CAFCA decided to use a payment app called Akimbo, the same app the philanthropic group 4-CT used to provide emergency cash assistance to vulnerable families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the $8.5 million devoted to this initiative, DSS confirmed $1 million is being spent to administer it.
Reeves said The Connecticut Project continues to urge DSS, aware of who has fallen off the SNAP rolls and when, to find a way to somehow load the $300 directly on people’s EBT cards rather than requiring people to use a third-party system. She said that’s what Illinois did when it launched a similar emergency benefit program for people who lost SNAP.
“So, they created a one-time benefit for people who are falling off SNAP due to work requirements and they did a one-time direct cash transfer onto their EBT card,” Reeves said. While states are not allowed to mix federal and state funds, she said it appears Illinois set up two separate funding streams onto the cards.
As of last week, Illinois has issued $46.4 million in FRESH (Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger) to 116,003 people since Aug. 1 under a similar emergency food assistance program. According to the Illinois Department of Human Services, $400 in state money was distributed onto people’s existing Illinois Link Cards, which function like a debit card and can be used at authorized grocery stores and approved online retailers. The money can also be withdrawn as cash from an ATM.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, announced on July 30 that approximately 100,000 Illinois residents would receive the one-time benefit beginning Aug. 1. Also, he said the state would provide funding each month to additional individuals who lose coverage until the $70 million program is exhausted.
Reeves said while the delays in Connecticut are not one person’s fault, families having to wait weeks to get a grocery card is unacceptable.
“It’s a sad situation and you know that $300 is not going to go that far,” she said.
