Emergency additional food stamp benefits for the COVID pandemic are about to end. The USDA says February will be the final month. DCFS administers the extra benefits for Louisiana. Assistant Secretary Shavana Howard says the benefits can run from an extra $95 a month for food, to over $300 extra; depending on how many are in the home. She says they have been paid out since March 2020, when the pandemic took hold…
“We have been issuing these extra SNAP benefits for over three years, and we realize that for some people it’s almost become their new norm. And so we try to give as much advance notice as we can.”
The federal government made the additional funds available after the pandemic put folks on lockdown and temporarily closed places of employment. Howard says they want to let people know the added benefits are ending February 28th…
“We have issued over $2-billion in emergency allotments, so we’ve really been working diligently to make sure that we are trying to care of the households.”
Normal SNAP benefit amounts return March 1st; meaning a family of three would receive about $335-a-month for groceries. Howard says this may not be good time for many families to have a reduction in monthly SNAP…
“Inflation has caused a great increase in the amount of money that it takes to purchase food now. Some households still haven’t returned to work…”
She says persons who find they cannot meet their family needs should contact DCFS and talk with a case worker about a case adjustment.
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