Hampton officials: VENA will split November SNAP payments into weekly 25% allotments; new applicants may wait until December

Dr. Tamara Timoni Porter explained how benefit timing will change under VENA: instead of one monthly allotment, the state will break November benefits into weekly payments equal to roughly 25% of the normal monthly amount and stagger disbursements by case number to avoid store congestion. "With the new Vena program, individuals are receiving a 25% of their allotment one time per week," Porter said.

Porter gave an illustrative example: a household that normally receives $400 a month would receive roughly $100 a week under VENA, with the first payments beginning the first week of November (those who usually receive benefits Nov. 1 would get their first VENA payment on Nov. 3 under the stagger). She cautioned that new applicants who applied in October "may not receive benefit until December," because the VENA allocation initially targets existing recipients and the state must determine how to include new cases.

Council members asked whether VENA weekly payments would create a repayment obligation if the federal SNAP program resumes; Porter said VENA is a state supplement and "they will not have to pay this money back."