SNAP benefits to increase for low-income families statewide

The state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance this week said that all New Yorkers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive the maximum allowable level of food benefits for April. Households already at or near the maximum benefit level will receive a supplemental payment of at least $95 per month for as long as the supplemental payments continue.

“The global pandemic continues to exacerbate hardship among New Yorkers, especially among those households that were already struggling with food insecurity,” said OTDA Commissioner Mike Hein. “These added food benefits are a welcome relief for countless families and individuals across our state as we begin to med our battered economy and look to the future.”

The emergency assistance supplement is provided to SNAP households that do not ordinarily receive the maximum allowable benefit per month. The additional benefits will begin being distributed this week and continue through the end of the month.

Recent federal action allows for a minimum supplement of $95 per month to all households already receiving the maximum level of food benefits. Households that had been receiving an allotment of less than $95 per month will now receive a minimum supplement of $95, officials said.

The passage of the American Rescue Plan last month also extended the 15 percent increase in SNAP benefits through September that initially was due to expire in June. The bump in food benefits will provide roughly $30 more per person per month, or roughly $120 additional each month for a household of four, federal estimates show. With the 15 percent increase factored in, the maximum benefit level will be $234 for an individual and $782 for a family of four.

Nearly half of all households in New York that participate in SNAP will receive the supplemental allotment later this month, which will result in a $100 million infusion into the state’s economy, officials noted. The additional benefits for the lowest income New Yorkers and the 15 percent increase for all SNAP recipients will amount to roughly $210 million in additional federal aid in April.

The additional SNAP benefits have provided more than $1.5 billion in much-needed federal dollars to local retailers throughout the state since last April, OTDA officials said. As of January 2021, there were more than 2.7 million SNAP recipients statewide, a 7.3 percent increase from January 2020.

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