NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It was a program that helped so many families during the pandemic.
But now, those families might have to pay it all back.
According to the Tennessee Justice Center, an error the state made in the height of the pandemic is now costing some families thousands of dollars.
"The bottom line to really know is that no one can get snap benefits unless the state agency approves them, so every single one of these cases were cases that the state agency had originally approved," nutrition client advocate with TJC, Anna Luttrell, said.
Luttrell said some people have started to receive notices saying they were overpaid during the pandemic and have to pay the money back.
At the time, congress allowed families to receive the maximum benefit, so the debt is incredibly high.
"This is so extreme because we had this policy change that was meant to help families and now it's causing this really really bad unintended consequences where we've worked with families that are 8-thousand or 9-thousand dollars in debt right now," Luttrell said.
She said this situation has created an enormous challenge for families who already are struggling to afford food.
The exact number of families impacted is unclear.
"If you leave families to be indebted to the state six, eight, thousand dollars, they are going to have to pay that money back and they are going to be making monthly payments for years until it's gone," she said.
Luttrell said the state does have the option to apply for a waiver from the USDA, to forgive pandemic overpayments, and help out families who are facing financial hardship.
"It's a no-brainer just to take those waivers and the option is there, so it's not a legal battle, it's just working with what the USDA has given us," she said.
Tennessee has not yet applied for the waiver. We reached out to the Department of Human Services to ask why. But so far, we have not heard back.
