How can I get extra SNAP benefits in 2022?
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering a boosted food stamp payment for families in 2022, but not all states have opted to take advantage.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is designed to supplement the food budget of low-income families to ensure that they can afford to purchase healthy food and avoid periods of food instability.
The Food and Nutrition Service from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) outlines its central aim to improve “access to food, a healthful diet and nutrition education in a way that supports American agriculture and inspires public confidence.”
During the pandemic that goal has been particularly crucial with millions of households losing their main source of income and the soaring inflation of recent months. Accordingly the federal government has set aside additional funds to boost the amount on offer from SNAP benefits, but not all states have opted to take advantage of the support.
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Boosted SNAP benefits are now available
As of 12 January 2022, 37 states had signed up to make their residents eligible for extra SNAP benefits, as part of the Emergency Allotment (EA) program. Residents in those 37 states will receive a boosted food stamp payment this month, approved by the USDA.
The EA benefits do not apply to all recipients, but will instead be used to boost the entitlement of households who would not otherwise be eligible to receive the full amount. If you were not previously receiving the maximum entitlement for your house size then the EA benefits will increase your total monthly benefits to the maximum for January 2022.
You do not need to do anything to trigger the payment of the extra SNAP support, the additional money will be automatically added to your regular monthly payment. For a full breakdown of when you can expect your SNAP benefits payment for January, check out What is the SNAP schedule for 2022 for each state?
Here’s the full list of the states included in the EA program:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Georgia
Guam
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Michigan
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming