Additional SNAP Benefits Coming to 117,000 Households in Connecticut on February 18

The Connecticut Department of Social Services has announced that it will provide $19 million in Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) benefits to more than half of Connecticut’s SNAP-eligible households on Thursday, February 18. The benefits add to the more than $197.4 million in emergency benefits that have been disbursed since the start of the pandemic ten months ago.

Authorized by the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, the extra food benefits will go to approximately 117,000 households that are not currently receiving the maximum benefits allowed for their household size. This means that all households enrolled in SNAP will receive the maximum food benefit allowable for their household size, even if they are not usually eligible for the maximum benefit.

Specifically:

• Approximately 117,000 of 215,623 SNAP-participating households statewide will receive the emergency benefits in February.
• With this additional $19 million allocation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, emergency benefits are totaling over $216.4 million in additional SNAP assistance statewide during April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December 2020; and January and February 2021, with commensurate spending in the food economy.
• The average emergency benefit amount a household will see on its electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card on February 18 is $155.77.
• All participating households also received their normal SNAP benefits, including the previously announced 15 percent increase from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 on the first three days of each month they normally do, according to last name.
• If a household is granted regular SNAP benefits on or after February 18 and is also eligible for the emergency supplemental benefits, the latter benefits will be added to the EBT card on a Friday, depending on the date of granting.
• As outlined in President Biden’s January 22, 2021, executive order, the USDA is considering new guidance that would allow states to increase SNAP emergency benefit allocations for those households currently not eligible to receive it. Until this guidance is received, the state is only able to provide emergency benefits to those households not currently receiving the maximum benefit for their household size.

Emergency benefits allowed the household’s SNAP benefit to increase to the maximum allotment for a household of that size as follows:

Household Size Maximum Benefit Amount:
1 – $234
2 – $430
3 – $616
4 – $782
5 – $929
6 – $1,114
7 – $1,232
8 – $1,408

For each additional person, add $176.

For example, if a household of two normally received $330 of SNAP benefits in February, $100 would bring this household up to the maximum benefit for its size. This household will receive a $100 emergency benefit on February 18.

For additional information about SNAP, visit www.ct.gov/SNAP.