Due to the increase in Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) checks applicable this year, recipients receiving SNAP food stamps also experience a reduction in these funds beginning in March, although in some states households have already left to receive the additional emergency allowance from January.
As of tomorrow, March 1, recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 32 states, Washington DC, Guam, and the Virgin Islands will stop receiving funds increased by the pandemic and will once again receive the regular amount of monthly money.
The foregoing applies to households that also receive funds from Social Security Administration (SSA) programs, reported the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on its website.
The USDA is the agency in charge of administering and distributing food stamps to more than 41 million recipients in the United States.
“Each year, SSA is required to make a cost-of-living adjustment to ensure that Social Security beneficiaries can cope with inflation. Social Security is the most common source of income for households receiving SNAP. When Social Security or any household income goes up, SNAP benefits go down,” the Department explained.
“While the Social Security COLA impacts SNAP amounts each year, the 2023 COLA is the highest in 40 years. Households receiving SNAP and Social Security benefits will see their SNAP benefits drop as early as January 2023 due to the significant increase in Social Security benefits to reflect the cost of living. However, households will still experience a net gain because the reduction in SNAP benefits is less than the increase in Social Security benefits,” the office calculated.
The temporary appropriations were approved by virtue of approval in Congress of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in spring 2020.
Under the statute, families got at least an additional $95 per month.
The omnibus or federal spending bill for fiscal year 2023 passed by the federal Legislature last December ended temporary emergency appropriations for the SNAP program.
The COLA received by beneficiaries of Social Security and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program this year is 8.7%, only comparable to the figures of the late 70s and early 80s.