Nevada food stamp program swamped with applicants
By Kara LaPoint, Reno Gazette-Journal
In June of this year, 14,601 Nevada residents applied for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, which are more commonly known as food stamps.
Of those applications, nearly 90 percent were processed within 30 days as required by the federal government.
But last year, more applicants were left waiting, especially in Reno, where roughly 68 percent of applications were processed on time in November and December.
With record SNAP participation nationwide, Nevada is not the only state struggling with timely processing, says the United States Department of Agriculture, the organization that facilitates the program. The most recent processing rates available showed state timeliness ranging from 74.16 to 97.97 percent, but those figures are from fiscal year 2008.
