On November 1st, food assistance for 40 million people will run out of funding if the government shutdown continues. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administered through the Florida Department of Children and Families is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a federal agency whose funding is affected by the federal government shutdown. You may receive notices about your eligible benefit amount, but you will not receive any benefits deposited to your EBT card during this time. 

Social Security checks will be mailed out as usual. This process is automated and remains unaffected by a potential shutdown. However, new applications and folks needing to update their information may experience delays.

Medicare, Medicaid and disability insurance will be largely unaffected by a shutdown lasting less than three months. Current beneficiaries will continue to receive their benefits.

VA services will still be available, the Orlando VA Medical Center will remain open. Please note that VA call centers and hotlines will be temporarily closed, and Veterans Benefits Administration public contact services will not be available. There may be reports of minor delays in receiving discharge documentation necessary to process loan applications.

USCIS is fee-funded, so it remains open and continues to process applications.

Florida’s state budget does receive support from the federal government. State implemented federally funded programs like SNAP, Headstart, and others will be impacted.