January 29: Member Benefits and the Federal Government Shutdown

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ForwardHealth Community Partners

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Updates for local agencies, community-based organizations, and providers who provide assistance to members of Wisconsin's health and nutrition public assistance programs.


January 29: Member Benefits and the Federal Government Shutdown

Stakeholder Frequently Asked Questions are now available.

Stakeholder Calls

The Department of Health Services (DHS) will be holding stakeholder calls at noon on January 29, 30, 31, and February 1 (weather permitting) to share available information about benefits and programs during the government shutdown. The conference line is 877-820-7831 and the access code is 252841.

Questions

DHS will continue to post up-to-date information on our FoodShare webpage. Please email any stakeholder questions to DHSFoodSharePolicy@dhs.wisconsin.gov.

Current Status

On Sunday, January 20, 2019, 284,436 current FoodShare households received February FoodShare benefits.

Members who received these early February benefits will not get additional FoodShare benefits on their QUEST cards in February. However, FoodShare benefits can be used throughout the month of February as QUEST cards will continue to work after January 31. Please advise members to budget and plan accordingly.

The Department of Health Services (DHS) is working with the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), as well as other federal and state agencies to explore options for funding benefits in March.

At this time, benefits and programs like BadgerCare Plus, Medicaid, SeniorCare, Wisconsin Works (W-2), and Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy Program are not impacted by the federal government shutdown.