Nearly 30 million Americans who got more government aid for their grocery spending during the pandemic will soon see that aid shrink, and there’s a huge effort to make sure they aren’t surprised.
Officials from 32 states and other jurisdictions have used text messaging, voicemail, postal mailings, flyers and social media posts, all in languages, to notify recipients that their additional food stamps end after February payments.
“One of the scenarios you don’t need to see is the first time they’re aware of it, it’s in the grocery store line,” said Ellen Vollinger, director of Food Research.
For the average beneficiary, replacement will mean about $90 less consistent with the month; for many, it may be much more, research shows. Benefits will return to overall levels, which are largely based on household income, duration and some expenses, according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The U. S. Department of Health and Drug Administration oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
A public statement in Michigan suggested the state’s 1. 3 million beneficiaries “seek the resources” to make up for the cuts.
“We need to make sure our consumers are ready for this replacement because we know inflation affects us all,” said Lewis Roubal of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Jacqueline Benitez, 21, who works as a preschool instructor in Bellflower, California, expects a significant reduction, by half, from the $250 in food benefits she has earned since 2020 through CalFresh, the state’s SNAP program.
“It’s a lifeline,” said Benitez, who in the past was homeless but now lives in a subsidized one-bedroom apartment. “Food is a huge expense. It’s a little scary to think about having nothing. “
Benitez said he has already thought twice before paying $5 for new fruit.
“What if it goes wrong? She.
The emergency program became law through Congress at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and expanded a year later. Originally, the additional benefits would continue as long as the COVID-19 public fitness emergency was in effect. It is now due to expiring in May.
But 18 states have already canceled bills for more than 10 million people and Congress made the decision to end the program early, swapping the extra benefits for a new permanent program that provides additional money to low-income families to upgrade school meals over the summer.
Experts credit the emergency budget with making sure most Americans had enough food to eat, despite the pandemic. About 10% of U. S. families are in the U. S. U. S. officials struggled to get enough food in 2020 and 2021, little replaced from pre-COVID levels.
The benefits of SNAP can accrue and be minimized based on inflation and other factors. Maximum benefits rose as much as 12% in October to reflect an annual cost-of-living adjustment stimulated through higher charges for food and other goods. who also get Social Security for the 8. 7% accumulation in the burden of living in this program on January 1.
In most of those cases, the buying force remains stable, said Stacy Dean, USDA deputy assistant secretary for food, nutrition and customer services.
“The emergency appropriations were meant to be transitory and have worked very cleverly during a very difficult time in our country,” Dean said. “The final results procedure will be really complicated for families who depend on those benefits. “
The decline comes at a time when inflation, which is improving, remains high and food costs remain high.
Shelley Boyd, 45, of Beaver, Pennsylvania, plans to make more trips to her local pantry starting next month. She, her fiancé and teenage son began receiving food stamps last year after adults lost their jobs and unemployment benefits dried up. The circle of relatives receives about $630 consistent with the month. They expect to lose about $95, if not more.
“That’s where our pantry comes in,” Boyd said. We and we do whatever you want to do. “
At the same time, national pantries remain under “great pressure,” said Vince Hall, an official with Feeding America, a network of more than two hundred food banks. Demand for assistance remains well above pre-pandemic levels, even as food banks face continued supply chain disruptions, elevated food and transportation costs, and declining food donations.
Andrew Cheyne, executive director of public policy for GRACE, a California-based anti-poverty organization, suggested beneficiaries contact county offices now to update their eligibility and ensure they get the maximum benefits imaginable. Changes in housing prices, child care, elder care, and other expenses can have effects on food stamp benefits.
Beneficiaries can also learn about benefits, such as the federal women, infant and child program, and claim refundable tax credits.
Cheyne and other advocates said emergency benefits were prolonged indefinitely rather than cut prematurely.
“It’s just a hunger cliff that other people were going to cross at some point,” he said.
AP reporter Marc Levy and AP video reporter Eugene Garcia contributed to this historia. ___
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