MDHHS instructed by USDA to temporarily pause issuance of November SNAP benefits

Is online shopping more susceptible to fraud, or do we not care about that now?

It seeems WIC is suddenly flush with cash, according to this MDHHS presser a few weeks ago.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/inside-mdhhs/newsroom/2026/07/28/wic-meijer

WIC participants now able to use benefits online at Meijer stores

First retailer in Michigan to accept WIC benefits for online grocery orders

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced that families participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are now able to shop with their WIC benefits online at Meijer stores.

“WIC beneficiaries were already able to use their WIC cards for in-store shopping at Meijer and offering online shopping will make it even easier for families to buy healthy foods,” said Amy Epkey, MDHHS acting director. “MDHHS is committed to helping residents put food on the table for their families.”

“We are excited to offer this new service to our clients,” said Michigan WIC Director Christina Herring. “We are continuously looking for ways to improve the WIC shopping experience. Online shopping will allow our WIC families to more easily and quickly access healthy foods while juggling the demands of their everyday life.”

Online shopping will be available at all 122 Meijer stores in Michigan where WIC clients can choose between curbside pickup or home delivery. Clients can shop for WIC foods using their WIC card and non-WIC foods using a different payment method in the same transaction. Meijer is also offering free home delivery.

“As a family-owned company, Meijer understands how important it is to make shopping for healthy, everyday foods easy for all families,” said Don Sanderson, chief merchandising & marketing officer at Meijer. “We are proud to be the first retailer to offer this in Michigan, building on our legacy of improving accessibility to customers in Michigan.”

The Michigan WIC Program serves more than 187,000 women, infants and children each month by providing healthy foods, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to other helpful programs and resources.

Michigan WIC plans to expand online shopping to other retailers in the future. This initiative is made possible through collaboration with Meijer and eWIC processor Fidelity National Information Services / Central Data Processing. Funding from the 2023 WIC Modernization Grant has enabled the launch of this project. More information is available at Michigan WIC Online Shopping.

To learn more about the WIC Program, visit Michigan.gov/wic.

# # #

And we're back to promoting more SNAP spending.

MDHHS presser.

Sept. 11, 2026

Michigan SNAP recipients may qualify for additional assistance to replace food spoiled during recent storms and power outages

Deadline to request replacement benefits is Sept. 23

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and were affected by recent storms in Wayne County may be eligible to request replacement benefits to cover food that spoiled as a result of recent power outages.

“Michigan families should know they may have an option to recover some of the food assistance they lost during the extended power outage in Wayne County,” said Amy Epkey, MDHHS acting director. “If you receive SNAP benefits and lost food, we encourage you to report the loss by Sept. 23.”

Typically, SNAP recipients who experienced a qualifying food loss must report it to MDHHS within 10 days. However, due to the severity of this weather event, MDHHS applied for and was approved for a federal extension waiver giving families until Wednesday, Sept. 23 to gather documentation and complete the necessary steps to secure their replacement benefits.

The amount that a household can request for SNAP food benefit replacements is based on the total value of the food lost, up to a maximum of one month’s regular food assistance benefits.

SNAP recipients who had food spoil due to a verified power outage or lost to storm damage can call 844-464-3447 to request replacement food benefits or visit the MDHHS website to fill out the required forms. The deadline to request replacement benefits is Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026.

# # #