Changes coming to SNAP program

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COLUMBUS — Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Director Matt Damschroder has announced that changes in federal law mean that February will be the last month of emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) allotments. These are extra monthly payments the federal government created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In general, it ensures all households receive the maximum allotment for their household size. Beginning in March, recipients will receive only their one, normal monthly payment.

“Recently passed federal legislation is bringing the temporary SNAP allotment to an end after February,” Damschroder said. “We will be communicating to recipients, county agencies, and our partners such as
foodbanks, that normal SNAP payment will resume in March.”

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a federally funded program meant to supplement the food budget of families in need so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency. Eligibility, as well as the normal monthly allotments, vary based on factors such as income and household size.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act allowed states to request emergency allotments for households participating in SNAP. As a result, ODJFS has been providing emergency allotments to SNAP households since March 2020. Congress recently passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which ended the program.

The federal announcement means the last emergency allotment will be paid in late February, and beginning in March, recipients will receive only their one, normal monthly payment, which is typically loaded onto an electronic benefits card. As this is a federal change, there are no fair hearing rights or fair hearing benefits on the ending of the SNAP emergency allotments.

Recipients can manage their benefits by going to https://benefits.ohio.gov/ or by contacting the Van Wert County Department of Job and Family Services (JFS).