Maryland social services is shortchanging struggling SNAP theft victims

The memory from the grocery store still stings more than six months later. Vanessa Fleeton kept her eyes trained straight ahead as the line behind her kept growing and her card kept being declined — soon realizing almost $2,500 in food assistance had been stolen from her. When the Department of Human Services approved her claim for reimbursement the next week, she was initially relieved. But that quickly gave way to fear and panic when the agency refunded only $46, less than 2% of the theft.