We have been informed by the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) emergency allotments are ending after nearly 3 years. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, signed into law last week, ended the authority for SNAP emergency allotments. The last month of emergency allotments is February 2023.
Background:
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act allowed states to request emergency allotments (EA) for households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) until the end of either the federal public health emergency declaration or that state’s declaration. As a result, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) has been providing EAs to SNAP households since March 2020.
In general, SNAP EAs ensured all households received the maximum allotment for their household size. For households that were already eligible for the maximum allotment, they received an additional $95 per month. Examples of EA benefits:
- Individual normally entitled to the minimum allotment of $23 per month has been receiving an additional $258 per month to receive the maximum allotment of $281.
- Household of 3 normally entitled to $180 per month has been receiving an additional $560 per month to receive the maximum allotment of $740.
- Household of 4 normally entitled to $939 per month (maximum allotment) has been receiving an additional $95 per month, for a total of $1034.
Households receive their normal allotment (i.e., the amount they are entitled to receive based on SNAP eligibility rules without EAs) on their normal issuance dates from the 1st to the 20th of the month and their EAs at the end of the month.
Update:
Due the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, States can no longer issue emergency allotments after February 2023. This means SNAP households will receive only their normal allotments beginning March 2023.
