Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, assistance to disadvantaged families was modified, incorporating new assistance packages. In some cases, this meant that benefits were increased. This is the case of the Food Stamp Program, which was renamed SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and involved an increase of $95 or more over the previous allocation.
With the beginning of the year 2023, at least 17 States saw the expiration of additional emergency assistance. As a result, that extra money for food purchases that was received with the SNAP check at the household level was no longer received. The list of these 17 states is as follows: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota , Tennessee and Wyoming.
What about additional SNAP food assistance in the remaining states?
Excluding South Carolina, which after the SNAP payment this January will stop providing the additional funds, the rest of the 32 States, plus Washington DC, Guam and the Virgin Islands, will have their SNAP Food Stamp Exceptions ending in March. This is the end of one of the additional benefits to families in recent years, oriented to the purchase of food.
This does not mean that SNAP assistance will cease. The adjustment of the extraordinary assistance should not be confused with the programs already in place before the pandemic. Therefore, a family that was receiving SNAP should continue to receive this assistance, albeit at the reduced amount discussed above.
What happens if in addition to SNAP for food, Social Security is also collected?
Many U.S. families have taken advantage of SNAP to buy food. In 2021 alone, more than 41 million Americans used these benefits. Within this large number of beneficiaries, there is a significant portion who also collect Social Security. Many of these families are wondering what will happen with the SNAP adjustment.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the amount of Social Security has gone up by 8.7%. This increase is going to directly affect the reduction in food assistance. A family that collects Social Security will have a greater reduction in the amount of SNAP than one that does not. However, this does not mean that those who collect Social Security will lose out to those who do not.
In fact, the difference between the increase in Social Security and the cut in food assistance is favorable to the recipient: it increases Social Security benefits more than it decreases the amount of SNAP.
