Missing Out On the Increase in SNAP Benefits

In March Congress authorized an emergency increase in SNAP benefits. Despite this, most of the families we've been speaking with have not received any increase in their monthly SNAP benefits because of how the USDA interpreted the law. 

Here's what happened: the USDA interpreted the Family First Act to mean that all households receiving SNAP could receive the maximum amount allowed for their household size, but no more. This means that the poorest 40% of SNAP recipients who were already receiving the maximum benefit pre-COVID did not receive any additional money from the Emergency Allotments. Most of our respondents fall into this category -- despite the increased financial pressures of the pandemic, their SNAP benefits have remained unchanged. 

Compare this with what happened in the 2009 Recovery Act: Congress and the President increased the maximum SNAP benefit by approximately 14 percent. A similar step today would raise monthly benefits by approximately $25 per person per month and make a significant difference to the families in our sample.

*Names and some details changes to protect confidentiality.