Emergency SNAP Supplements to Be Issued May 7

Lincoln – In response to Congress passing the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) filed a request with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutritional Service (FNS) to provide emergency allotment funds for Nebraska households who are receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. These emergency allotments will be used to increase the amount of funds SNAP recipients receive for the months of March and April 2020.

No action is needed from SNAP recipients to receive the supplemental support. SNAP recipients will be issued increased benefits on their current EBT cards. Supplemental benefits for April will be issued May 7.

Many Nebraska households rely on SNAP benefits to help purchase groceries. DHHS estimates the emergency allotment from the USDA will be $8,646,530 per month. SNAP is 100% federally funded.

Households receiving SNAP benefits will see supplements to their benefits based on a maximum allotment scale. If there are four individuals in a household and that household is currently receiving $500 in benefits, the supplement will raise their benefits to the maximum allowed for households of four, which is $646 per month – or an increase of $146. Total benefits will be different based on each household's regular monthly allotments for the months of March and April.

Nebraska Children and Family Services (CFS) director Stephanie Beasley believes this emergency allotment is critical to the health of Nebraska's most vulnerable. "Right now there is a growing sense of uncertainty in the economy and many people are being laid off or are have a family member who was laid off," she said.  "It is important to make sure Nebraska's most vulnerable are being well taken care of. Congress is giving us an opportunity to provide even more resources to SNAP recipients and we have a responsibility do everything in our power to secure those benefits."