After weeks of delays, about 700,000 Tennesseans are starting to get their full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance benefits.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services will be paying out all backlogged food aid. The agency said Monday morning that card re-loads were already underway.

November SNAP benefits had been delayed by weeks as the government shutdown dragged on. Some families were hit harder than others. Tennessee distributes benefits between the first and the 20th of the month; assigned dates are based on the last two digits of the applicant’s social security number. So some have had their aid frozen for more than two weeks, while others never missed a payment.

After some legal battles, the Trump Administration agreed to pay out partial benefits. That was as little as $12 for so

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