COLUMBUS (AP) — State officials say Ohio recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program help do not have to use all of their benefits by the end of this month after receiving their February benefits early as the nation grapples with a partial federal government shutdown.

Officials say recipients will next receive their monthly SNAP benefits in March and that they should plan accordingly and stretch the February assistance they received this month as long as possible.

The state Department of Job and Family Services says that while funding for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) has yet to be reauthorized, those benefits will be available in February.