[NFBNJ] SNAP Benefits During COVID-19

Tue Apr 28 16:25:11 UTC 2020

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Subject: SNAP Benefits During COVID-19

Do you receive SNAP Benefits?
Many New Jerseyans who receive food assistance through NJ SNAP will receive 
a higher benefit in May to help address critical food needs related to the 
COVIDï¿½\19 pandemic.

If you want to check your balance before you go to the grocery store, please 
visit www.NJFamiliesFirst.com where you can view your current card balance 
and transaction history, or call the number on your card to hear the 
information.

The extra benefit will be added directly to your families EBT card. You will 
receive your May SNAP benefits during your regular time at the new maximum 
level.

For example, if you are a family of one, the maximum benefit is $194 per 
month so you will receive the difference between your regular monthly amount 
and $194. For a family of three the maximum amount is $509, so you will 
receive the difference between your regular monthly amount and $509. You 
will receive the difference between your regular SNAP and the maximum 
benefit for your family.

NJ Human Services Announces $36 Million in Additional Food Assistance

Many NJ SNAP Recipients Will Receive Enhanced Benefits

April 28, 2020

(TRENTON) ï¿½C Many New Jerseyans who receive food assistance through the 
stateï¿½ï¿½s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (NJ SNAP) will receive 
additional benefits in May to help address critical food needs related to 
the COVID-19 pandemic.

An additional $36 million will be provided to about 214,000 New Jersey 
households in May

SNAP supplemental payments were included in the federal Families First 
Coronavirus Response Act. In March and April, Human Services announced $70 
million in total additional NJ SNAP benefits that were provided to New 
Jerseyans to help purchase groceries.

ï¿½ï¿½During this tough time, we want to make sure that we are providing as much 
food assistance as possible to eligible households for as long as we can,ï¿½ï¿½ 
Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson said. ï¿½ï¿½I continue to thank our 
Congressional delegation for their efforts to protect and help residents as 
we respond to this pandemic.ï¿½ï¿½

The supplemental benefits will be directly loaded to NJ SNAP recipientsï¿½ï¿½ 
Families First EBT cards as part of their regular monthly payment.

NJ SNAP provides food assistance to families with low incomes to help them 
buy groceries through a benefit card accepted in most food retail stores and 
farmerï¿½ï¿½s markets.

NJ SNAP currently serves about 674,000 New Jerseyans in 343,000 households. 
Households eligible for the NJ SNAP supplemental benefit will receive the 
difference between their regular SNAP benefit and the maximum benefit for 
their family size.  These supplements will be in addition to standard 
monthly benefits.  Householdsï¿½ï¿½ standard monthly SNAP benefit is based on 
household size and income.   Under federal policies implementing the 
Families First Coronavirus Response Act, households that already receive the 
federal allowable maximum SNAP benefit are not eligible for supplemental 
payments.

ï¿½ï¿½These extra benefit payments will prove critical to many New Jersey 
households, especially older adults and individuals with disabilities,ï¿½ï¿½ 
Human Services Deputy Commissioner Elisa Neira said. ï¿½ï¿½Access to additional 
food assistance is more important than ever, and we hope that these new 
resources will give many individuals and families additional peace of 
 mind.ï¿½ï¿½

ï¿½ï¿½During this difficult time, we encourage residents who need food 
assistance to visit and apply for SNAP online at www.NJHelps.org,ï¿½ï¿½ said 
Assistant Commissioner Natasha Johnson, who directs the Department of Human 
Servicesï¿½ï¿½ Division of Family Development and oversees the SNAP program. 
ï¿½ï¿½We appreciate the dedicated staff at the County Boards of Social Services 
who are essential to getting these critical services to New Jersey 
 families.ï¿½ï¿½

Human Services also received federal approval to extend NJ SNAP 
recertification periods to six months for cases that were expiring in March, 
April and May. This means families receiving SNAP will not have benefit 
interruptions during that time.

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