Over 19,000 applications had been received with over 7,100 applications reviewed and approved totaling over $9.9 million. Of note, over 1,000 applications have been flagged as either fraudulent or duplicate requests.
Mayor Sarno states, “Originally my administration had allocated $10 million into our Direct Assistance for Household applications, however, due to the high volume of completed and eligible applications, I am allocating an additional $2 million to process and award as many eligible household applications that meet the award and federal criteria as possible. This now brings the total amount allocated into our Direct Household Assistance to $12 million. I want to thank everyone for their continued patience, as we continue to have our third party, Public Partnership, LLC (PPL) carefully review and process all of the applications received. To guard against potential fraud, which we have already flagged over 1,000 applications that do not meet the federal requirements, we have asked PPL to thoroughly review all applications and submitted materials to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria and to make sure that only our Springfield residents that meet the requirements are approved.”
Per the federal requirements, applications had to show that they were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, along with providing proof of Springfield residency, and show documentation that the household was receiving some form of programed assistance, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), unemployment benefits, etc.
It is important to note that if a household receives an eligibility letter from PPL, that household should receive their Money Network Debit Card withing 7-10 business days. These letters will be sent to the address the City and PPL has on record per the submitted application. It is important for households to activate their card as soon as possible. Any cards not activated within 90 days of receipt will have funds returned to the City of Springfield as unclaimed. Those households that do not receive the debit card within 10 days of receiving their eligibility letter can contact Money Network at (866) 892-2835 to request a reissued card as needed.