Basic Needs

Public Policy

2013 Federal Government Shutdown

 

What's Open/Closed

• Social Security: The Social Security Administration will retain enough staff to make sure the checks keep going out. One should be able to apply for Social Security benefits, appeal a denial of benefits if already in process, change an address and sign up for direct deposit. But the agency won't have enough employees to do things like help recipients replace their benefit cards or schedule new hearings for disability cases. 
• Unemployment benefits and SNAP (food stamps) will continue for the time being, since their funding has been approved in earlier bills.
• Housing: The Department of Housing and Urban Development will not be able to provide local housing authorities with additional money for housing vouchers. The nation's 3,300 public housing authorities will also stop receiving payments, although most of these agencies have enough cash on hand to provide rental assistance through the end of October.
• Veterans benefits : Some key benefits will continue and the VA hospitals will remain open. But many services will be disrupted. The Veterans Benefits Administration will be unable to process education and rehabilitation benefits. The Board of Veterans' Appeals will be unable to hold hearings. What's more, if the shutdown lasts for more than two or three weeks, the Department of Veterans Affairs has said that it may not have enough money to pay disability claims and pension payments. That could affect some 3.6 million veterans.
• WIC: No money will be available to pay the administrative costs of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. But because it's administered by states, there may be state funds available.
  • In Massachusetts: "Although we are concerned about the federal government shutdown, there will be no immediate impact on the services delivered by the Massachusetts WIC Program.  At this time, a full complement of WIC services is being provided to participants. We will continue to carefully monitor the situation." -http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/consumer/basic-needs/food/wic/
• The federal school lunch program: Schools are reimbursed for these costs on a monthly basis and are allowed to carry over funds from the previous fiscal year. The USDA expects most schools will be able to continue providing meals through October.

Sources and for more information: see coverage in The Washington Post and USAToday.

New Details:

Immigration (USCIS): the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is primarily funded by user fees rather than government funding. Most of its offices will continue to operate, albeit with a diminished staff. However, significant processing delays are likely to occur because USCIS relies upon other government agencies to perform its services.

Head Start - Most open; some closed. More than 20 programs across 11 states did not get the annual grant they had been scheduled to receive Tuesday and cannot provide early education and related social services to children and families. Just over a million children are enrolled in Head Start programs across the country. Annual grants are awarded around the calendar year, so most programs can continue to operate off their existing grants. But no new grants will be made.
-http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/government-shutdown-leaves-19000-children-without-head-start-services/2013/10/01/c39c4f92-2aa4-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html