SNAP Recipients File Class Action Lawsuit Against USDA Seeking Reimbursement of Stolen Funds

A new class action lawsuit was filed Wednesday on behalf of New York residents who had their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits stolen in hopes of getting them reimbursed.

The lawsuit, which was filed by The Legal Aid Society and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer US LLP, seeks to restore benefits that were electronically stolen to about 8,800 SNAP enrollees in New York. The lawsuit is against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), who the plaintiffs allege refused to allow New York to use federal funds to replace the benefits electronically stolen, according to a Legal Aid Society press release.

As of December 2022, there were about 2.8 million people in New York who used the SNAP program, according to state data. SNAP benefits are electronically transferred onto an electronic benefits transfer card, which enrollees can use like a debit card to purchase eligible food in accepted retailers, according to the federal benefits website.

Read the source article at thehill.com