As the Federal Government shutdown continues, Lyon County’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program is continuing to operate, albeit with a lot of uncertainty.
KVOE News recently spoke with CareArc Chief Financial Officer Seresa Howe, who tells KVOE News that the program, which has been traditionally funded through allocations from the USDA, has been given enough funding to continue limited operations through the month of October. As for the months ahead, Howe tells KVOE News the USDA is confident that if programs continue operating at their current levels, they will have enough funding to maintain operations at least through November 10.
The potential for funding beyond that point, however, is currently unclear as the situation continues to change frequently, according to Howe. That said, she tells KVOE News the CareArc has submitted a request for funding for the entirety of November.
If the Lyon County program does have to pause operations in the near future, Howe says they do have a contingency plan in place, thanks to assistance from Johnson County.
That said, Howe notes that a potential pause in operations would mean a furlough of WIC staffers who currently provide services to more than 700 individuals locally.
This update comes after the USDA announced earlier this week that the lapse in funding caused by the shutdown, which went into effect on October 1, means agencies should hold off on processing November SNAP benefits until the federal government says otherwise.
