Food Stamps: New York Governor Announces $234 Million in Additional Food Assistance for September
New York residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will receive a supplemental allotment in September totaling about $234 million in federal funding, Gov. Kathy Hochul said last week.
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In a Sept. 13 announcement on her website, Hochul said the emergency assistance supplement will be provided to all New York households who receive SNAP benefits. These include households that ordinarily receive the maximum allowable benefit per month. Households already near or at the maximum benefit level — $835 for a household of four — will receive a supplemental payment of at least $95.
SNAP, formerly knowns as food stamps, is a federal program that provides food assistance to low-income families.
“Too many hardworking New Yorkers continue to feel the effects of the pandemic — struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table,” Hochul said in a statement. “My administration will continue taking action to support our most vulnerable communities, and the $234 million in SNAP benefits announced today will provide the necessary funding to ensure hundreds of thousands of New York households avoid food insecurity.”
SNAP households in every county outside of New York City should see the extra benefits post through Monday, Sept. 26. SNAP households in the five-county New York City region should see their benefits post between Friday, Sept. 16, and Thursday, Sept. 29.
The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance began issuing the emergency supplemental benefits in April 2020 to SNAP households receiving less than the maximum monthly benefit amount.
When the state’s emergency declaration expired in June 2021, OTDA worked with the U.S. government to secure the maximum allotment for all SNAP households until the expiration of the federal declaration of a public health emergency. That declaration was extended until October 2022, enabling OTDA to continue issuing these benefits through November.
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As Hochul noted, New Yorkers continued to rely heavily on SNAP benefits over the summer. More than 1.6 million households throughout the state enrolled in the program in July. While that figure was little changed from the previous month, it was up 3% from July 2021.
“These supplemental payments have increased SNAP recipients’ purchasing power at a time when struggling families are confronting higher prices at the grocery store,” OTDA Commissioner Daniel W. Tietz said in a statement. “This assistance is helping spur New York’s continuing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by helping New Yorkers put healthy food on the table.”
New York residents interested in enrolling can check their SNAP eligibility, as well as apply online, by visiting mybenefits.ny.gov.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Food Stamps: New York Governor Announces $234 Million in Additional Food Assistance for September
