SNAP recipients can order groceries online by June
WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania households enrolled to receive food stamps will be able to make online grocery purchases by the start of June, state officials announced Wednesday, as the state joined a rapidly expanding federal pilot program enabling such purchases in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture program will allow, for the first time, the state’s more than 1.8 million food stamp recipients — most of whom are children, elderly or disabled — to use their government subsidies to have groceries delivered to their homes. Food stamp recipients can struggle to afford two weeks’ worth of groceries recommended by federal health guidelines, which discourage frequent trips to the grocery store.
Once operational, state officials said, those enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can make online food purchases with Walmart, Amazon and Shop Rite, a New Jersey-based grocer with locations only in southeastern Pennsylvania.
“Many people have been purchasing groceries online to
facilitate social distancing, but SNAP recipients were not able to do so due to federal restrictions on SNAP and e-commerce,” said Teresa Miller, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, in a statement.
“In most cases, SNAP recipients do not have flexibility to use online purchasing for grocery delivery or curbside pickup, potentially putting health and safety at risk during this health crisis,” Ms. Miller stated.
Pennsylvania was among 13 states approved for the USDA program on Wednesday. In total, 36 states and the District of Columbia, home to more than 90% of SNAP participants, are covered by the program.
“Enabling people to purchase foods online will go a long way in helping Americans follow CDC social distancing guidelines and help slow the spread of the coronavirus,” USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement Wednesday.
The effort to clear the technical and regulatory hurdles surrounding online ordering with SNAP benefits has been years in the making — and accelerated by the current pandemic.
The pilot program originated in the 2014 Farm Bill, which directed USDA to encourage states to expand grocery delivery to those paying online with an EBT card, which holds the food stamp dollars.
It was not until April 2019 that USDA, which administers SNAP, rolled out the test program in New York. By last month, the department had added nine more states and gradually grew the program across the country.
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services will work for the next two weeks to implement necessary changes to its SNAP system with its EBT vendor, New Jerseybased Conduent Inc., and the three approved retailers.
Erin James, a department spokeswoman, said the state is not aware of any retailers who might seek to be part of the program in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania has not incurred any costs for this program.
The department expects to have online grocery purchasing activated for SNAP recipients by the beginning of June, officials said.
It warned that SNAP benefits can only be used for the direct purchase of food items — extra costs such as delivery fees and driver tips cannot be paid with food subsidies.
The shift to allow online ordering comes as food advocacy groups and Democrats on Capitol Hill call for an expansion of SNAP benefits in the next round of COVID-19 legislation.
In March, Congress appropriated $15 billion for the rise in SNAP applications and allowed states to increase monthly benefits up to the legal maximum. In Pennsylvania, the maximum monthly benefit amount is $646 for a four-person household.
But roughly 40% of households — nationwide and in Pennsylvania — reported income so low that they were already at their monthly limit before the pandemic began. That leaves no room for increased benefits.
Advocates have called for a 15% increase in the maximum limits, which would provide an extra $97 a month for a family of four.