When the food prices raise, many CalFresh recipients are eagerly anticipating the potential increase in California food stamps benefits for the year 2024. The important question on their minds is whether there will be a much-needed cost of living adjustment to alleviate the strain of inflation on their grocery bills.
CalFresh, also known as the nationwide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is a food assistance program in California, United States. Provides monthly benefits to low-income individuals and families to help them purchase nutritious food and meet their basic food needs. Every year, these payments are adjusted following the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), that pursues to tackle the inflation.
Calfresh Benefits Are Set to Increase for 2024
In 2024, there will be a noteworthy increase in CalFresh benefits. Specifically, the maximum monthly benefit for a family of four is set to rise to $973, up from $939 in 2023. This increase of approximately 3.6% reflects the adjustments made by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to align the benefits with the ever-changing cost of living.
First, you must know that your current income plays a significant role in determining your CalFresh benefits. The program is specifically designed to help individuals and families with limited financial resources. The lower your income, the higher your potential benefits.
The number of people in your household matters. CalFresh takes into account the size of your family to calculate the appropriate level of assistance. More family members may mean higher benefits to meet everyone’s needs. Certain expenses, such as rent or mortgage payments, utilities, and childcare costs, are considered when calculating your benefits. These expenses reduce your available income and can result in higher assistance.
Who qualifies for CalFresh benefits?
CalFresh is California’s version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps. It provides benefits to assist low-income individuals and households in purchasing nutritional food. The eligibility for CalFresh, as well as the benefit amount, is based on the household’s size and income level.
The categories of people who are eligible for CalFresh include:
- Any California household or individual (including homeless) with low or no income
- CalWORKS or CAAP applicants
- Students of higher education who meet eligibility requirements.
There are also special rules for different groups:
- Able-bodied adults without dependents between the ages of 18 and 50 must register for work or be working at least 20 hours per week or an average of 80 hours per month to receive CalFresh benefits.
- There are special rules for households with seniors and people who are disabled. If you are age 60 or over, or you are receiving Social Security Disability or Medi-Cal due to a disability, or a full VA pension, you may be eligible with income over the regular limits if you pay very high rent and utilities and/or have medical expenses over $35 per month.
To be eligible for CalFresh, your monthly gross income (before payroll deductions) must be the same or below the amount listed in the chart for your household size. Most households must have a total gross monthly income less than or equal to 200% of the federal poverty level, to be potentially eligible for CalFresh
New work requirements for SNAP benefits from October 2024
Starting October 1st, the USDA and the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), responsible for establishing eligibility criteria for the SNAP program, is implementing updated requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) seeking to participate in the program.
These new regulations, authorized under the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, will extend the age range for ABAWDs required to meet specific work-related criteria from 18 to 50 years old to 18 to 52 years old. This adjustment follows an earlier change that raised the age limit for ABAWDs from 49 to its current level.
If you’re a current SNAP recipient, or you’re thinking about recertify your payments, get in touch with your local SNAP office and ask if these or other new requirements affect you.