SNAP Emergency Allotments Ended Feb. 28, 2023
Please view our SNAP booklet here for detailed information.
Since the beginning of the COVID –19 pandemic, 
SNAP recipients have been temporarily
receiving an “extra SNAP” payment each month
to help with the tremendous challenges brought on by the pandemic. Under this relief measure, SNAP recipients’ benefits were increased to the maximum amount for their household size. Those who already qualified for the maximum received an additional $95. These extra SNAP payments – known as SNAP Emergency Allotments (EAs) – have been a lifeline to the people we serve.
While they started as part of COVID relief, they
have also been a critical support as historic
inflation has increased the cost of food and other basic necessities. EAs have been
distributed to states by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and have been 100% federally
funded.
In 2022, Congress put an end to EAs in its end–of–year spending package and final EA
payments were issued this past February. In March, SNAP recipients will receive only their
regular benefit amount. This will be a huge, difficult loss for the communities we serve. The
end of EAs is sure to exacerbate food insecurity across our service area, creating a
looming hunger cliff.
