Families eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, or food stamps, will continue receiving additional benefits through August, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday.
The additional benefits that had been set to end in July will impact about 350,000 Michigan families who are receiving the increased monthly benefits. Eligible participants should expect the additional benefits to be on their Bridge Cards by Aug. 30, according to a news release.
“COVID-19 and its impact on the economy of the nation and state has made it more difficult for many Michigan families to pay for nutritious food,” Lewis Roubal, MDHHS chief deputy director of opportunity, said in the release. “The department wants to provide additional assistance to help them through this health care and economic emergency.”
In Michigan, nearly 1.5 million people receive SNAP benefits. The additional benefits, which began in March, will bring all current SNAP participants to a maximum monthly allowance.
The federal government is providing additional funding to states for food assistance under House Resolution 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
The additional benefits will be loaded onto Bridge Cards as a separate payment from assistance provided earlier in the month, MDHHS said. Recipients could see the benefits as early as Aug. 20.
Those who already are eligible for the program will see an increase in monthly benefits if they are not already receiving the maximum SNAP benefits. The benefits are determined by the number of individuals in a household:
- One person: $194
- Two people: $355
- Three people: $509
- Four people: $646
- Five people: $768
- Six people: $921
- Seven people: $1,018
- Eight people: $1,164
Recipients can check their benefits by going to www.michigan.gov/MIBridges or reach out to a consumer service representative toll-free at 888-678-8914.
The 350,000 households that receive increased benefits represent nearly 50% of the more than 700,000 Michigan households that received food assistance in June, with the remaining households already receiving the maximum benefit, according to MDHHS.
Reach Nushrat Rahman at nrahman@freepress.com or 313-348-7558. Follow her on Twitter: @NushratR