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24 <br /> 1 MOTION PASSES <br /> 2 <br /> 3 6. Regular Agenda <br /> 4 a. End of Food and Nutrition Pandemic Emergency Allocations and Unwinding of the <br /> 5 Public Health Emergency Declaration and Approval of Budget Amendment#6-A <br /> 6 The Board received an update regarding the impacts of the Public Health Emergency (PHE) <br /> 7 unwinding and reduction of Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) benefits due to the end of <br /> 8 emergency allocations, and approved time-limited staff positions and funds to assist recipients <br /> 9 affected by this change through Budget Amendment#6-A. <br /> 10 <br /> 11 BACKGROUND: The PHE declaration will officially end on May 11, 2023. This will have several <br /> 12 impacts on clients and the workload of the Department of Social Services (DSS). <br /> 13 <br /> 14 Effective March 1, 2023, the emergency allocations provided through Food and Nutrition Services <br /> 15 (FNS) will end. Households that have been receiving extra FNS benefits (called "emergency <br /> 16 allotments") each month since March 2020 or after will see a reduction in benefits because of a <br /> 17 federal change that ends emergency allotments for all states. <br /> 18 <br /> 19 As part of the COVID-19 public health emergency, families enrolled in the FNS program in North <br /> 20 Carolina have been receiving at least$95 extra per month since March 2020 through emergency <br /> 21 allotments. With the end of emergency allotments, the average FNS benefit per person per day <br /> 22 will decrease from $8.12 to $5.45. <br /> 23 <br /> 24 These emergency allotments have been critical in helping families compensate for financial and <br /> 25 economic hardships due to COVID-19. <br /> 26 <br /> 27 Since March 2020, an average of 6,000 Orange County households received FNS emergency <br /> 28 allotments, giving more families access to nutritious meals that support healthy and productive <br /> 29 lives, and bringing approximately $1.3 million federal dollars each month into the local economy. <br /> 30 <br /> 31 Effective March 2023, FNS benefits will go back to regular monthly benefit amounts issued prior <br /> 32 to the pandemic. Beneficiaries will continue to receive regular monthly benefit amounts in March <br /> 33 2023 based on a person's or household's current eligibility, income, household size and other <br /> 34 federal eligibility requirements. <br /> 35 <br /> 36 The Department of Social Services anticipates some recipients will not initially understand this <br /> 37 change and may need assistance during the transition. Staff has developed plans for outreach to <br /> 38 the current recipients and to local human service and food providers in the community. Many <br /> 39 families are still struggling to pay for basic needs and the community will need to help with this <br /> 40 change. <br /> 41 <br /> 42 The Department proposes to utilize $125,000 of funds from the Social Justice Reserve Fund to <br /> 43 provide emergency food at agency sites and to increase the support to food pantries in the <br /> 44 County. A balance of$12,696 would remain in the Social Justice Reserve Fund with approval of <br /> 45 this allocation. <br /> 46 <br /> 47 In addition to the FNS allotment changes, all pre-pandemic rules for eligibility in all program areas <br /> 48 will be reinstated over the next twelve to eighteen months. This includes Medicaid, which will <br /> 49 require the evaluation of approximately 22,000 cases over the next year and a half. The volume <br /> 50 of work for staff will increase significantly as these changes occur. <br /> 51 <br />