NEW YORK (PIX11) — Households enrolled in New York’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will get additional food benefits this December, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday. All New Yorkers in the program will receive the maximum allowable level of food benefits for December, Hochul said. Supplemental benefits will come from roughly $234 million in federal funding.
“These additional benefits have continued to help struggling New Yorkers keep themselves and their families fed throughout the pandemic and now in the face of higher grocery prices due to global inflation,” Hochul said. “The $234 million for SNAP will provide relief to New Yorkers in need during the holiday season and cold winter months when household budgets are especially strained.”
Enrolled households will each get a supplement of at least $95, officials said. SNAP households outside of New York City should see their benefits posted by December 22, officials said. SNAP households in NYC should see their benefits posted by December 28. The supplemental benefits are expected to continue through February 2022.
Payments will be issued directly to existing Electronic Benefit Transfer accounts. Unused benefits will be automatically carried over to the following month. Households can apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance website.
Below is a breakdown of maximum SNAP benefit allowances in New York as of Oct. 1, 2021.
| Household Size | Maximum Allotment* |
|---|---|
| 1 | $250 |
| 2 | $459 |
| 3 | $658 |
| 4 | $835 |
| 5 | $992 |
| 6 | $1,190 |
| 7 | $1,316 |
| 8 | $1,504 |
| For each additional member | $188 + |
The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance began issuing emergency supplemental benefits in April 2020 to households receiving less than the maximum monthly SNAP benefit amount. The agency worked with the federal government after New York State’s emergency declaration expired in June 2021 to secure the maximum amount for SNAP households until the federal declaration of a public health emergency expires in January. More than 1.6 million New York households, including more than 2.8 million New Yorkers, participated in SNAP in October, an increase of just over 2% from October of last year, according to the governor’s office.
