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New York state announces an additional $100 million in food assistance for SNAP recipients

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Thu, Jul 16th 2020 09:40 am

Roughly 700,000 households will receive supplemental payments for July

More than $400 million in benefits distributed to low-income New Yorkers since April

The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) on Wednesday announced more than $100 million in additional emergency food assistance for New Yorkers adversely affected by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. About 700,000 low-income individuals and families enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive the maximum allowable benefit for July to help them avoid food insecurity.

“There is no question that the global pandemic has put a significant economic strain on many households throughout the state, causing more and more New Yorkers to experience food insecurity,” said Commissioner Mike Hein. “These additional benefits will help hundreds of thousands of struggling New Yorkers avoid hunger as we continue to weather the storm of this unprecedented public health crisis.”

Administered by OTDA, the emergency assistance is issued to any SNAP household that does not ordinarily receive the maximum allowable benefit per month, which is $194 for an individual and $646 for a family of four. These benefits will be distributed later this month, after the regular SNAP issuance. About half of all households receiving SNAP will receive additional benefits for July.

This will mark the fifth consecutive month all SNAP recipients in New York have received the maximum benefit. In April, Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed OTDA to submit a plan to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide emergency supplemental payments for March and April to any SNAP household getting less than the maximum monthly benefit, which is $646 for a family of four. Since that time, approximately $400 million in additional benefits have been distributed throughout the state.

As with the prior months, the supplemental payments will be issued over a period of several days once SNAP benefits for July have been issued. The payments will be delivered directly to recipients’ existing Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) account and can be accessed with their existing EBT card.

Like regular SNAP benefits, the supplemental benefits can be used to purchase food at authorized retail food stores. Any unused SNAP benefits will be automatically carried over to the following month.

For more information on the emergency supplemental SNAP benefits, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit otda.ny.gov/SNAP-COVID-19.

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