As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, the people who continue to be negatively impacted have a little more help on the way.

According to a press release from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), is making a large amount of additional food stamp assistance available to people in New York State.

The global pandemic continues to exacerbate hardship among New Yorkers – especially among those households that were already struggling with food insecurity... These added food benefits are welcome relief for countless families and individuals across our state as we begin to mend our battered economy and look to the future.
-Mike Hein, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance

An additional $210 Million in SNAP benefits will be distributed to recipients throughout the month. All New Yorkers who currently receive food stamps will receive the maximum allowable benefit based on their household size. In real dollars, that means a single individual will receive $234 this month, while a family of four will receive $782. Individuals and families who were already receiving the maximum allotment will also see an increase of $95.

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These allotments also include the additional 15% bonus from the Federal Government. The American Rescue Plan authorized numerous amount of added benefits for struggling Americans and this includes additional snap funding.

Because this announcement comes in the middle of the month, households who have already received their SNAP benefits this month will find the additional funds deposited to their EBT accounts by the end of the month.

More than 2.7 million New Yorkers now receive food stamp assistance, many of whom qualify because of the effects of the pandemic.

If you have questions about the SNAP program or want to know if you qualify for assistance, you can check the NYS OTDA website here. You can also contact your local Department of Social Services, you can find links to Erie County DSS and Niagara County DSS here.

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