Indiana is adding two new benefits to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps to make it easier for eligible recipients to cover meal costs.
Family and Social Services Administration Secretary Dr. Jennifer Sullivan gave an overview of the changes in Gov. Eric Holcomb’s April 27 press conference, the Joint Information Center for the Family and Social Services Administration said in an email to the Indiana Daily Student.
Households that have children who qualify for free or reduced-priced lunches will receive more credit on their Electronic Benefit Transfer card since schools are not able to provide meals due to closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The extra credit will be a one-time, not monthly, benefit that will be issued in May, according to the email.
The extra benefits will be automatically added to qualifying households' existing Electronic Benefits Transfer card. Households with eligible children who are not a part of the SNAP program will receive new Electronic Benefits Transfer cards with their benefits on them.
In order to be eligible for the program, people must meet financial standards, such as income and asset limits, and non-financial standards, such as work registration, citizenship status and state residency. In March 2020, around 3,500 households received SNAP benefits in Monroe County.
SNAP will also be permanently offering to deliver groceries to people who need it so even people who qualify for SNAP without reliable transportation can get food.
The Joint Information Center said curbside pickup has already been authorized, and the delivery services will bring the groceries directly to people’s homes.
