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<DIV>Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>Please read and share with others.</DIV>
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<DIV>Joe </DIV>
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inline'><B>:</B>
<A title=Pamela.Gaston@dhs.nj.gov
href="mailto:Pamela.Gaston@dhs.nj.gov">Pamela
Gaston</A> </DIV>
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<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Food Assistance for Vulnerable
Families</DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; PADDING-TOP: 10px"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">NJ Human Services Announces $70
Million in Food Assistance for Vulnerable Families in New
Jersey</SPAN></DIV></DIV><A
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TEXT-ALIGN: left"></A><SPAN
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<P><EM>Amid the COVID Pandemic, Many NJ SNAP Recipients Will Receive
Enhanced
Benefits</EM></P>
<P><STRONG>March 26, 2020</STRONG></P>
<P>(TRENTON) – Many New Jerseyans who receive food assistance through the NJ
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (NJ SNAP) will receive an extra
benefit payment on Sunday and their benefits will be higher in April to help
address critical food needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. </P>
<P>SNAP supplemental payments were included in the federal Families First
Coronavirus Response Act. A total of $70 million in extra NJ SNAP benefits
will
be provided over the next two months to New Jerseyans to help with the
purchase
of groceries. </P>
<P>On Sunday, March 29, $35 million in supplemental payments will be
provided to
approximately 205,000 New Jersey households enrolled in NJ SNAP.
April benefits also will be increased by $35 million for these households.
</P>
<P>Supplemental benefits will be directly loaded to NJ SNAP recipients’
Families
First EBT cards. </P>
<P>NJ SNAP currently serves about 670,000 New Jerseyans in 340,000
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 additional
to
standard monthly benefits. Households’ 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. </P>
<P>“We want every individual and family to be able to have the food they
need as
they comply with the Governor’s directive to stay at home. For many
New
Jerseyans and their families that means needing more NJ SNAP support, and
these
benefits are coming on Sunday,” Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson
said.
“We appreciate our congressional delegation’s continuing work to support the
critical needs of all New Jerseyans during this challenging time.”</P>
<P>Eligible NJ SNAP recipients will receive their first supplemental benefit
on
their Families First EBT card on Sunday, and will be able to use the
benefits
beyond the month of March. The April supplemental benefit will arrive
together
with eligible recipients’ typical monthly payment, meaning recipients will
receive one combined payment in April of the supplement and their standard
benefit.</P>
<P>NJ SNAP provides food assistance to families with low incomes to help
them
buy groceries through a benefits card accepted in most food retail stores
and
farmer’s markets. </P>
<P> “During these difficult times, access to additional SNAP
benefits is even more critical,” Human Services Deputy Commissioner Elisa
Neira
said. “Many SNAP recipients, including older adults and individuals with
disabilities, are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus<SPAN
style="TEXT-DECORATION: line-through">,</SPAN><SPAN> </SPAN>and efforts
to
protect them can be greatly enhanced as SNAP recipients are able to purchase
more food.”</P>
<P>“We appreciate the dedicated staff at the County Boards of Social
Services
who are essential to getting these critical services to New Jersey
families,”
said Assistant Commissioner Natasha Johnson, who directs the Department of
Human
Services’ Division of Family Development and oversees the SNAP program.
“During
this difficult time, we encourage residents who need food assistance to
visit
and apply for SNAP online at<SPAN> </SPAN><A
style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline; COLOR: rgb(90,120,154)"
href="http://www.njhelps.org/">www.NJHelps.org</A>.”</P>
<P>Human Services also has received federal approval to extend NJ SNAP
recertification periods to six months for cases that are expiring in March,
April and May. This means families receiving SNAP will not have benefit
interruptions during that time.</P></SPAN><BR></DIV>
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<DIV id=Signature>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial
Black",arial,sans-serif'><B>Pamela
L. Gaston</B></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">Executive
Assistant 3</DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">NJCBVI</DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: calibri,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">973-900-2564</DIV>
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