Capitol Hill, Saipan – The Department of Community and Cultural Affairs which oversees the local Nutrition Assistance Program in the CNMI has yet to obtain additional funding to shoulder the costs of its increasing clientele. Since the department received notification from its federal grantor agency last month, local NAP recipients have been informed of an impending reduced benefit beginning May 1, 2011.
“Unfortunately, the Commonwealth’s request for additional funding cannot be made possible due to the federal government still operating on a Continuing Resolution,” said Gov. Benigno R. Fitial. “Until such time that additional funding is made available, our local office is forced to make necessary adjustments to keep the program afloat for the remainder of the fiscal year.”
To accommodate the increasing demand for food stamps, the NAP Office has implemented two measures for the program to last through FY11.
1) All new and reopened cases (clients) will be placed on a wait list until additional funding is made available by the federal grantor agency.
2) Effective May 1, 2011, ongoing clients will continue to receive benefits but will see a decrease of 26.71%. Still, DCCA warns that this rate may fluctuate depending on the agency’s availability of funds.
Nonetheless, the Commonwealth government will continue to seek assistance in securing the grantor agency’s assistance for additional funding source to accommodate the nutritional needs of families.
The Fitial administration is pleased to learn that Delegate Gregorio C. Sablan has introduced H.R. 1465 to increase the CNMI’s benefits to that of the national level.
“Our local NAP Office will continue to work closely with their federal counterparts to address the ongoing situation,” added Gov. Fitial. “We also hope that H.R. 1465 will have the approval of Congress so that our people will also be entitled to the same equitable assistance as the national program.”
