Food benefits reaching Nevada SNAP recipients but only partial funds

A box filled with jars of peanut butter is shown during an emergency food distribution site hosted by Three Square Food Bank at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. Photo by: Steve Marcus

Nevada SNAP recipients are starting to receive partial benefits on their EBT cards, the Nevada Department of Social Services (DSS) confirmed today after assistance was interrupted Saturday due to the government shutdown.

The state has transferred around $29 million in Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program funds to over 196,000 households, DSS wrote. Previously, Nevada received $90 million a month for around 500,000 residents through the program.

But not every household on food stamps will receive the funds, the department wrote, citing new guidance from the United States Department of Agriculture.

Households that have no income will receive half of their previous benefits, “while households with greater income will receive a smaller percentage or even no benefit,” Nevada DSS wrote in a press release.

Around 70% of “SNAP eligible households” in Nevada have at least some income, the department wrote. Nearly 14,000 households that were previously covered by SNAP will not receive any benefits this month, according to DSS.

Two judges last week ruled that the Trump administration would have to use SNAP’s contingency fund to keep the program going despite its legal objections. Whether the administration would follow through was uncertain as President Donald Trump wrote on social media that the funds would only go out when the ongoing federal shutdown ends.

Nevada responded to the looming lapse in funding with nearly $40 million in support for the state’s food banks. In Southern Nevada, Three Square food bank has been running emergency distributions to support people on the program or impacted by the shutdown.

While Three Square is “encouraged” by what benefits are now being transferred to Nevadans, Beth Martino, the organization’s president, said it’s not enough.

“Some will still receive nothing. That means more people are turning to food banks and pantries to get by,” Martino wrote in a statement. “We need the federal government to reopen, and we need our community’s help through donations, volunteer time and spreading the word.”

The shutdown and SNAP pause have put thousands of people in Southern Nevada “into crisis,” she said.

“Every day, we’re hearing from parents, seniors, and federal workers who simply can’t afford groceries,” Martino wrote. “Many were already living paycheck to paycheck, and this disruption has made a difficult situation even harder.”

But the benefits have hit EBT cards faster than expected, with Martino previously saying that it could take one to two weeks to get the money out.

DSS Administrator Robert Thompson credited that speed to the department planning the rollout in advance of the USDA’s guidance.

“Getting benefits onto EBT cards quickly is essential for Nevadans receiving SNAP,” Thompson wrote. “Thanks to the hard work and readiness of DSS staff, and the constant support from the Governor’s Office, Nevada completed the transition within hours, not days.”