Michimich.com - Additional Food Assistance for 350,000 Michigan Families in Response to COVID-19 Emergency Extended through October

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Oct. 9, 2020

CONTACT: Bob Wheaton, 517-241-2112

LANSING,Mich. – Approximately 350,000 Michigan families will continue to have access to additional food assistance benefits during the month of October as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced today.

Michigan previously approved the additional food assistance for March through September – and now that is being extended for the month of October with approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service.

"No Michiganders should worry about how to put food on the table for themselves and their family, especially during a pandemic," said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. "COVID-19 is still a very real threat to our public health and Michiganders' economic well-being. That's why it's so important that we continue providing this vital assistance to low-income families who need help putting food on the table"

Eligible clients will see additional food assistance benefits on their Bridge Card by Oct. 30, with payments beginning for some households on Oct. 18. Additional benefits will be loaded onto Bridge Cards as a separate payment from the assistance provided earlier in the month.

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Nearly 1.5 million people in Michigan receive federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through the state's Food Assistance Program

Households eligible for Food Assistance Program benefits will receive additional benefits in October to bring all current SNAP cases to the maximum monthly allowance for that group size. This change only applies to customers not currently receiving the maximum benefit amount. The 350,000 households that receive increased benefits represent more than 50 percent of the more than 676,000 Michigan households that received food assistance in August The remaining households already receive the maximum benefit.

Below is the maximum allowable benefit for SNAP customers based on their respective household size:

One Person: $194

Two Persons: $355

Three Persons: $509

Four Persons: $646

Five Persons $768

Six Persons $921

Seven Persons $1,018

Eight Persons: $1,164

The federal government is providing additional funding to states for food assistance under House Resolution 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

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Eligible families do not need to re-apply to receive the additional benefits. People who receive food assistance can check their benefits balance on their Michigan Bridge Card by going online to www.michigan.gov/MIBridges a consumer service representative toll-free at 888-678-8914. They can ask questions about the additional benefits by calling or emailing their caseworker.

Customer service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Spanish and Arabic service is available. If you are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing or speech-impaired, call the Michigan Relay Center at 7-1-1.

Information around the COVID-19 outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

Filed Under: Government, State

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