New York SNAP recipients to get six-month boost in food benefits

ALBANY, N.Y. » The state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Friday, announced that New Yorkers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will receive a 15% increase to their monthly food benefits from January through June.

All households will also receive the maximum monthly benefit for January under the emergency food assistance that has been issued since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last March.

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 Office of

Temporary and Disability Assistance.

Emergency assistance will also 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 accounts and can be accessed with their existing EBT cards. 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.