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Louisiana families dropped from SNAP despite no change in income, analyst says
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BATON ROUGE — Long lines at state offices are preventing some people from receiving their SNAP benefits.
A woman reached out to WBRZ, saying more than 80 people had to wait in line for their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits at the Department of Children and Family Services office in Baton Rouge. Another woman told WBRZ she is a mother of seven and was dropped from SNAP for making too much money, yet she says her income has not changed.
Tia Fields works as a policy analyst for Invest in Louisiana and tracks how changing public assistance laws impact communities, including who gets left out and goes hungry.
According to research, participation in national SNAP benefits fell by more than 3 million people after restrictions were passed as part of President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill."
Fields says that though the law changed, many family incomes have not. Families do not make more money, but because of the law, can get less assistance.
"There has not been a decline in the need," Fields said. "If anything, families are hungrier due to the political climate."
Families can apply for services through the Department of Health's website, but Fields says imperfect technology could also account for the drop in numbers.
"We believe, based on our research, that the state is under a lot of pressure," Fields said. "They're changing systems, and sometimes tech issues occur."
Fields says those tech issues cause confusion and hold up lines.
"Families are not always able to access the portal and upload their documents, or they may live in an area where internet is not accessible," Fields said.
WBRZ reached out to the Louisiana Department of Health, which oversees SNAP, to find out what is being done to address the long lines. An update will be posted on WBRZ.com when a response is received.
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