Food and Nutrition Services recipients in Beaufort County may see a decrease in their benefits after Nov. 1.

Part of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that increased benefits will expire, affecting 47 million recipients across the nation, according to the local Department of Social Services.

In Beaufort County, a little over 5,000 households will be affected, said Amy Alligood, income maintenance supervisor III with DSS.

“It’s not going to be a huge, drastic decrease, but we really won’t know what their benefits will be until it comes to the day they normally get their benefits in November,” Alligood said.

As no official letter will be sent out informing recipients of the coming change, DSS is putting the word out.

“We just wanted to give everybody a little ‘heads up’ to let them know a little bit ahead of time that they might see a decrease,” Alligood said.

Since the expiration of the increased benefits will affect every household differently, Alligood said it’s difficult to put a dollar amount on the decrease.

“We were told roughly $11 — not enough of a decrease that they would have to rely on other agencies, like Eagle’s Wings,” Alligood said. “Even if it is just $10 or $11, (recipients) would like to know so they can plan for their benefits.”

Because the change is to federal law, disputing the decrease is not an option. However, if recipients have other concerns about how their benefits are calculated, they can request a fair hearing through the local Food and Nutrition Services office or DSS.

This decrease comes on the heels of the government shutdown in which local benefits were not cut off due to the assistance of area agencies.

“We were very fortunate that we looked at the resources we had available and we did not have to suspend anyone’s benefits,” Alligood said. “Had the shutdown continued, we would have (had to).”

To find out changes to benefits, recipients can call customer service (888-622-7328) on the day they would normally receive them in November. Questions can be directed to the local Food and Nutrition Services office at DSS.