SNAP benefits increasing for first six months of 2021

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program monthly food benefits will increase 15% for January through June this year, the N.Y. State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance announced Friday.

In addition, all households will receive the maximum monthly benefit for January under the emergency food assistance that has been issued since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

“The pandemic has caused immeasurable economic hardship for so many New Yorkers and this additional assistance will help people continue to feed themselves and their families,” OTDA Commissioner Mike Hein said.

“This temporary increase in benefits will bring some measure of relief to vulnerable New Yorkers as we continue to navigate these unprecedented times,” he said.

For January, SNAP recipients will receive the additional 15% as a separate issuance that will be distributed starting in mid-January and continue through the end of the month. The federal legislation authorizing the increase was not approved in time to include the additional amount as part of the regular benefits for SNAP, which is administered by the state OTDA.

Additionally, emergency assistance will be issued to any SNAP household that does not ordinarily receive the maximum allowable benefit per month, which will be $234 for an individual and $782 for a family of four over the next six months. The emergency assistance supplement will be distributed along with the additional 15% for those who are eligible. About half of all households receiving SNAP in New York will receive the emergency benefits for January.

As with the prior months, 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.

Struggling New Yorkers continue to rely heavily on SNAP as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. As of October, there were nearly 2.8 million SNAP recipients throughout the state, an 8 percent increase from the same month in 2019.

“SNAP provides vital assistance to help struggling New Yorkers overcome food insecurity, enabling them to purchase healthy, nutritious foods,” Hein said.

For more information on the emergency supplemental SNAP benefits, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit otda.ny.gov/SNAP-COVID-19 https://otda.ny.gov/SNAP-COVID-19/. New Yorkers can check their eligibility for SNAP and apply online by visiting mybenefits.ny.gov https://mybenefits.ny.gov/mybenefits/begin.