Mississippians relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are still waiting to receive full November benefits due to technical issues with outdated computer systems. The problem stems from using 35 and 40-year-old systems that run the COBOL programming language, dating back to the 1960s.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) is working to fix the issue as quickly as possible but faces challenges due to the age of its technology. Before the recent government shutdown ended, MDHS had scheduled all SNAP recipients to receive 65% of their payment on their scheduled monthly date.
However, when the agency sought to push out full payments after the shutdown, they were unable to do so due to pre-scheduled 65% payments being in place. Clients with issuance dates set for Friday, Nov. 21, will initially receive only 65% of their benefits, while all recipients will eventually get the remaining 35% once the system issues are resolved.
The MDHS has announced a $180 million upgrade to its systems to replace outdated technology but expects this project to be completed in 2027. Meanwhile, families relying on these payments urge for swift resolution of the issue, and the agency is working as fast as possible to get the benefits out.
Source: https://www.mississippifreepress.org/mississippians-still-waiting-on-full-snap-benefits-as-decades-old-systems-cause-further-delays