Announcements and News
Helping to change lives in Mississippi
Office closures and delay – January 11 & 12, 2021
January 11 Opening at 10:00 Attala County Opening at 10:30 State Office Opening at 12:00 Jefferson county Opening at 1:00 pm Adams County Closed Yazoo county Washington County Neshoba County Union County Issaquena County Warren County Claiborne County January 12 Opening at 10 Scott Attala Chickasaw DeSoto
SNAP Update for 2021
Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive Emergency Allotments (supplements) in January 2021. These emergency benefits will be made available on January 5, 2021, for SNAP cases with a paid benefit for January. SNAP households approved for benefits during the month of January will receive the supplemental payment two (2) days after case approval. Due to legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President, SNAP households will receive a 15% increase in benefits from January 2021 through June 2021. This benefit increase will be in addition to the Emergency Allotments being made available beginning January 5, 2021. For example, [...]
MDHS Announces additional benefits for January
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, households currently receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will be eligible for a supplemental benefit for January 2021. Similar benefits were provided for certified SNAP households for the previous months. SNAP households that have been certified based on meeting income and resource requirements are eligible to receive the supplement benefits. These households will receive benefit supplements up to the maximum benefit amount, based on household size. For example, the maximum benefit for a 2-person household is $355. A 2-person household authorized to receive $200 for the month will receive an additional $155, the total maximum [...]
MDHS recovers full restitution in Lowndes County fraud case
The Mississippi Department of Human Services Benefit Recovery Unit has recovered full restitution of $1,142.04 from a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud case in Lowndes County. Former Clerical Support employee Deidra Norris was convicted of stealing and activating SNAP EBT cards from individuals who were in a drug rehab facility. Norris also confessed to buying and selling multiple other EBT cards. Once the information was discovered, the MDHS Investigation Division moved quickly to gather the necessary evidence, which it then turned over to the Lowndes County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. The employee was immediately terminated from [...]
MDHS delivers Christmas cheer to a Jackson family
A local family who otherwise would not have had Christmas will have a jubilant end to 2020 thanks to the selfless generosity of employees at the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Sharon Allen of Jackson, a terminally ill mother of five, reached out on Facebook with a video asking for help in giving her children a Christmas this year. Employees in the MDHS Division of Aging and Adult Services Adult Protection Services Program heard her plea and responded by adopting the family. After visiting the home, the agency was able to connect Allen with needed rental and utilities [...]
MDHS Benefit Recovery Unit recoups more than $76,000 in misallocated funds
The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) Benefit Recovery Unit, in cooperation with Hazlehurst United Methodist Church, has recovered $76,598.14 in misallocated child care funds. The discrepancy was caused by an employee’s misconduct which was self-reported by Hazlehurst UMC and they agreed to pay full restitution to the agency. The Benefit Recovery Unit, under the direction of Debresha McDonald, is part of the Office of Inspector General in MDHS. Created in August 2018 and charged with detecting, preventing, and deterring fraud, waste, and abuse within the agency, OIG has been responsible for millions in dollars collected from misused [...]
