Lawsuit Targets Massachusetts Assistance Commissioner Over Food Stamp Benefit Losses

A class-action lawsuit was filed in Suffolk Superior Court concerning Massachusetts residents who lost or decreased food stamp benefits. The complaint alleges that the Department of Transitional Assistance's assistance line automatically disconnected calls, preventing residents from reporting changes or checking recertification paperwork. The complaint states that this mishandling contributed to a decline of nearly 80,000 households receiving assistance from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The lawsuit targets the operational failures of the state's assistance program, which has seen the SNAP caseload fall 18 percent since August 2024. The complaint notes that the assistance line automatically disconnected 74 to 81 percent of calls during the first six months of 2026.