After the emergency allotments expire in March, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries will see their monthly SNAP benefits revert to their regular levels.
The federal omnibus law for the fiscal year 2023, which was passed in December, eliminated the almost three-year-long monthly extra payments that compensated for the increased economic burden caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Previous to this month, eighteen states had already discontinued the distribution of pandemic-era benefits. Following February, SNAP households in 32 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands will receive at least $95 per month less without emergency allotments. This includes several of the nation’s most populous states, including California, Texas, and New York.
SNAP payments, which are distributed by the New York State Office of Temporary Disability and Assistance (OTDA), have been essential to the livelihoods of a great number of New Yorkers.
According to OTDA’s most recent data, in December 2022, more than 1.6 million households and more than 2.8 million New Yorkers were registered in SNAP throughout the state. In October 2022, SNAP benefits have grown by 12.5% compared to pre-pandemic levels, but inflation continues to pressure customers’ finances.
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Alternative Food Assistance
SNAP households may be eligible for other government assistance programs, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which is offered to pregnant or breastfeeding women and children under the age of 5 who receive SNAP. Initiatives like the Affordable Connectivity Program, which offers discounts on residential internet charges, can also assist in reducing household expenses.
New York SNAP members may also be eligible for the following extra assistance programs:
- FreshConnect, Double Up Food Bucks, and NYC Health Bucks are programs that offer coupons for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables at local farmer’s markets and participating food merchants.
- The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), offers aid with home heating.
- Assistance with food from local food pantries.
With City Harvest’s extensive map, New York City residents can also locate nearby free food alternatives. Soup kitchens, food pantries, community refrigerators, City Harvest Partner Distributions, and City Harvest Mobile Markets are given as locations.
One in eight Americans is SNAP-eligible. The amount each household will lose varies on its size, composition, and income, but it will be at least $95 every month.
According to the CBPP, families with children will lose an average of $223 per month, while seniors will lose an average of $168 per month.
Social Security claimants may potentially experience a reduction in SNAP payments as a result of the January cost-of-living adjustment of 8.7%, which raises their total income. As the federal public health emergency ends in May, other modifications to SNAP, such as extended eligibility for low-income college students, will expire.
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