Food stamp benefit payments are up more than 380 percent in Idaho since 2007, according to state Health & Welfare Director Dick Armstrong. That's led to huge rushes at Idaho grocery stores on the first of the month, when recipients get their payments. H&W is working with the region's grocers on a plan to move to a multi-day issuance system for the payments, rather than the current single-day issuance, but the current system is the cheapest. The initial changeover wouldn't create any general fund cost, Armstrong said, but it would create maintenance costs of $220,000 a year, and the state would need to commit to funding $110,000 a year of that with general funds starting in fiscal year 2014. A new multi-day issuance system also would require the equivalent of four more state staffers.