SNAP Benefits Update as 35 States to Receive Payment Boost

SNAP recipients who have children will get a sizable boost to their food benefits this summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced.

Thirty-five states, Washington D.C., all five U.S. territories and four tribes will be joining the launch of the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) this year. According to the USDA, the new benefit is expected to help an estimated 21 million children get adequate nutrition over the summer months, and has been put in place to help tackle food insecurity and poverty for vulnerable families.

Eligible families will receive $40 per month per child during the summer which will be loaded onto an electronic benefit transfer card, which can be used in stores that accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

In total, families will receive $120 of extra grocery money per child. There does not appear to be a limit on the amount of children the benefits can be paid for per household. Newsweek has contacted the USDA via email for comment.

"Summer grocery benefits are becoming a reality for many communities across the nation and for tens of millions of children who will receive the nutrition they need to grow, learn, and thrive," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement from the USDA. "We applaud all the leaders and partners who are stepping up to make the program's inaugural year a success. Together we're making progress in closing the summer hunger gap and ensuring children are nourished and healthy year-round."

"No kid should have to spend their summer hungry, or without nutritious food," Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small said. "Summer EBT is a giant step forward in meeting the needs of our nation's children and families throughout the year, and especially in the summer months."

Who Is Eligible for EBT?

Families that currently receive SNAP benefits will be eligible for the scheme, as well as children who attend schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.

In 2024, the benefit will only be available to those living in the following states, territories and Tribes:

• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Tennessee
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington D.C.
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• American Samoa
• Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
• Guam
• Puerto Rico
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• Cherokee Nation
• Chickasaw Nation
• Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
• Osage Nation

Which States Are Not Participating?

For 2024, Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Wyoming chose not to participate.

States that are not participating are not ruled out and will be able to join in future years, the USDA has said. Some states, such as Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma have their own programs that help low-income families with their food bills.

However, those that are not participating in the program have been criticized by the White House.

"It is truly, truly shameful, that they are not opting into these programs." White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told Spectrum News earlier this month. "We're talking about making sure that children in low-income families ... are getting the summer lunches, right? And one of the things that we learned during this pandemic is food insecurity. How terrible that is, that was to our children. And so we need to make sure that we're taking care of our kids."