Michigan families eligible for food stamps, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, will continue receiving additional benefits through November, state officials said last week.
The additional benefits will impact about 350,000 families who have been receiving the increased monthly benefits since March in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Eligible participants should expect to see the extra benefits on their Bridge Cards by Nov. 30, with payments beginning for some households on Nov. 21.
The additional benefits will be loaded onto Bridge Cards as a separate payment from assistance provided earlier in the month. Those who are already eligible for the program will see an increase in monthly benefits if they are not already receiving the maximum SNAP benefits.
“MDHHS remains committed to helping families who continue to struggle to put food on the table as a result of the pandemic. Providing nutritious food is vitally important during these difficult times just as protecting residents from the virus is,” said Robert Gordon, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, in a news release.
In Michigan, nearly 1.5 million people receive SNAP benefits. The additional benefits will bring all current SNAP participants to a maximum monthly allowance.
Eligible families do not need to reapply to receive the additional assistance. Recipients can check their benefits by going to www.michigan.gov/MIBridges or reaching out to a consumer service representative toll-free at 888-678-8914.
Spanish and Arabic service is available. Michiganders who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing or speech-impaired, can call the Michigan Relay Center at 7-1-1.
The benefits are determined by the number of individuals in a household:
- One person: $204
- Two people: $374
- Three people: $535
- Four people: $680
- Five people: $807
- Six people: $969
- Seven people: $1,071
- Eight people: $1,224
The federal government is providing additional funding to states for food assistance under House Resolution 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service approved the extension.
Nushrat Rahman covers issues related to economic mobility for the Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Click here to support her work.
Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@freepress.com; 313-348-7558. Follow her on Twitter: @NushratR. Sign up for BridgeDetroit’s newsletter. Become a Free Press subscriber.