All SNAP Recipients will Continue Receiving Maximum Food Benefits for their Household Size

Supplemental Benefits Have Provided More Than $2.3 Billion in Food Assistance to New Yorkers

The state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) today announced that all New Yorkers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will receive at least the maximum allowable level of food benefits for June, a benefits distribution that will push more than $200 million in federal aid into the state’s recovering economy. The supplemental benefits provided to individuals and households enrolled in SNAP have already infused more than $2.3 billion into New York’s economy since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

“As our state recovers from the crushing economic toll incurred by the global pandemic, we must ensure that all New Yorkers have enough resources to put healthy, nutritious food on the table,” said Mike Hein, commissioner of OTDA, which administers SNAP in New York State. “These additional food benefits will help hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to feed themselves and their families, while also providing a much-needed boost to local retailers as our state economy mends.”

All SNAP households will receive the emergency assistance, which will be distributed starting on June 17 in New York City and on June 8 in all counties outside of New York City and continue through the end of the month. SNAP recipients that that do not ordinarily receive the maximum allowable benefit per month, which varies by household size, and is $234 for an individual and $782 for a family of four, receive a supplement to bring them up to that level.

SNAP households already receiving the maximum monthly benefit, and those that had been receiving an emergency allotment of less than $95 per month, will receive a minimum supplement of $95. Nearly 1.6 million households in New York State will receive the supplemental benefits later this month, which will result in the state receiving roughly $200 million in federal assistance.

As with the prior months, the payments will be delivered directly to recipients’ existing Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) account and can be accessed with their existing EBT card. Like regular SNAP benefits, the supplemental benefits can be used to purchase food at authorized retail food stores. Any unused SNAP benefits will be automatically carried over to the following month.

The additional SNAP benefits have provided more than $2.3 billion in much-needed federal dollars to local retailers throughout the state since May 2020. Struggling New Yorkers continue to rely heavily on SNAP as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. As of March, there were more than 2.8 million SNAP recipients throughout the state, an 8.9-percent increase from March 2020.

For more information on the emergency supplemental SNAP benefits, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit otda.ny.gov/SNAP-COVID-19. New Yorkers can check their eligibility for SNAP and apply online by visiting mybenefits.ny.gov.