SNAP emergency benefits to be issued Wednesday in Delaware

The state’s Division of Social Services announced it will be issuing emergency food benefits to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients on Wednesday.

The division announced in a news release the additional benefit will be awarded to eligible SNAP households as part of the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the state will issue emergency cash benefits to those enrolled in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and General Assistance programs.

SNAP benefits should be available on recipients Electronic Benefit Transfer cards on Thursday, and those receiving emergency cash benefits will receive a check on or after Wednesday.

The SNAP benefit, according to the release, will impact 57,086 households in January, with a total nearing $10.9 million in emergency food benefits doled out.

According to the release, the state’s Department of Health and Social Services has released emergency benefits each month to eligible families as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020.

“The Omicron surge has impacted our state significantly over the last several weeks, but many vulnerable individuals and families have been especially hard hit,” DHSS Secretary Molly Magarik said in the release. “For Delawareans who don’t have sick time and were forced to stay home from work because of positive COVID-19 tests or close contacts in their households, we know these increased benefits offer much-needed assistance.”

Households who receive the maximum allotment of food benefits will receive $95 in emergency food benefits, according to the release, and if the calculated benefits amount for a household is less than $95, the emergency benefit will be increased to $95.

The cash assistance programs will increase a household’s monthly benefit, according to the release, to the maximum benefit amount for household size under the program.

According to the release, the emergency benefits are calculated using a formula using a household’s monthly emergency benefit equaling the current maximum benefit amount for household size subtracting the household’s currently monthly benefit.

For emergency SNAP benefits, the maximum benefit amount is $250 for a single person and $835 for a family of four, according to the release.

For TANF, and General Assistance, a single person would receive a maximum benefit of $201, whereas a family of four would receive $407, according to the release. General Assistance benefits in the amount of $79 would be administered to a single person whereas a family of four would receive $169.

The state estimates 147 households will receive funding under the emergency cash assistance program, according to the release, totaling $20,570 in emergency benefits for the month. Households will receive regular benefits for January.

This article was originally posted on SNAP emergency benefits to be issued Wednesday in Delaware