SNAP Delays Leave About a Third of San Antonio-Area Applicants Waiting, and the Food Bank Is Serving 140,000 Families a Week
New eligibility rules and a growing backlog have about one-third of local SNAP families stuck waiting and half of recertifications running late, the San Antonio Food Bank's Eric Cooper says — while demand at the bank is up 17 percent, back to pandemic levels.
As grocery and gas prices continue to strain household budgets, some San Antonio families are waiting for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits amid changes to eligibility rules and a growing application backlog, KSAT reported in a story read in full by the desk this cycle. The changes are part of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act; the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the law is intended to strengthen the integrity of the food assistance program. Eric Cooper, president and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank, said the policy shift has affected people considered able-bodied adults without dependents, as well as some children and older adults. "I don't think anyone anticipated so many children and seniors that were caught up in some of that policy shift that are now no longer eligible to get benefits," Cooper said.
The wait is measurable. A viewer named Jessica told KSAT she was concerned because benefits she applied for in August had not come through; the USDA said applications are supposed to be processed within 30 days. Cooper said about one-third of families are caught in an application backlog, half of recertifications for existing beneficiaries are being delayed beyond the required timeframe, and many families are confused about whether they are still eligible under the changed rules. "If the state could get ahead of that backlog, those families would have the dollars that they need in these critical times to nourish their families," Cooper said.
The Food Bank is absorbing the gap: it is serving roughly 140,000 families a week, according to Cooper — a 17 percent increase in demand, returning to levels last seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. The South Texas Food Bank is asking lawmakers to wait two years before putting the restrictions in place; the changes would require states to pay more toward the program, which in Texas, Cooper said, could cost about $500 million. "Texas has been a strong economy and our state has dollars. Will the legislators prioritize that spend?" Cooper said.
