Emergency aid to support households with elderly, disabled, or children begins November 1

The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) announced that beginning November 1, the state will launch emergency, state-funded assistance for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households that include elderly residents, individuals with disabilities, or children. The action follows an emergency declaration issued by Governor Jeff Landry in response to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Households made up solely of able-bodied adults will not receive the state-funded aid. LDH estimates that about 53,164 individuals—roughly 6% of total SNAP participants—fall into this category.

While federal SNAP benefits will not be distributed starting November 1 due to the shutdown, unused benefits from previous months will remain accessible on recipients’ Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards and can still be used as normal.

Programs such as the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP) and the Kinship Care Subsidy Program (KCSP) will continue uninterrupted, as they are federally funded and not affected by the shutdown.

The state-funded emergency aid will be distributed in phases to ensure Louisiana families can continue to put food on the table during the federal funding lapse. In September, more than 792,000 residents across 396,000 households relied on SNAP benefits statewide.

“Thank you to Governor Landry for your bold leadership, compassion, and work with the state Legislature to take care of our most vulnerable populations,” said LDH Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein.

LDH officials said they are closely monitoring the situation in Washington and will share updates with beneficiaries and retailers as new information becomes available.