TRENTON – New Jerseyans who receive food assistance through the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (NJ SNAP) will continue to receive enhanced food assistance benefits in February to help address needs related to the Covid pandemic.
According to a release, a 15% increase in SNAP benefits that began in January will be effective through June.
Human Services has also been providing SNAP households with the maximum benefits since March 2020, when the pandemic began, and those supplements will be provided in February to about 273,000 households. The 15% increase is independent of the monthly SNAP supplements and will be given to every SNAP household, so all NJ SNAP recipients will, again, get at least a 15% increase, depending on household size and income.
When February’s benefits are paid, Human Services will have distributed $493.9 million in total supplemental monthly SNAP payments since March to New Jersey residents.
“As this global health crisis continues, we remain committed to providing as much additional food security as possible to New Jersey families,” Acting Commissioner Sarah Adelman stated. “These additional SNAP benefits provide much-needed help for thousands of New Jerseyans.”
“Increased food assistance is so important for so many New Jerseyans as this crisis continues,” Deputy Commissioner Elisa Neira stated. “We remain dedicated to helping as many families as we can during this difficult time.”
The monthly supplemental payments are contingent upon month-to-month U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approval. The USDA can approve supplemental SNAP payments for states, as long as the federal government has declared a public health emergency and the state has issued an emergency declaration.
The increased benefits will be directly loaded to NJ SNAP recipients’ Families First EBT cards, as part of their regular monthly payment.
NJ SNAP provides food assistance to families with low incomes to help them buy groceries through a benefits card accepted in most food retail stores and farmer’s markets. Families can also use their cards online through Amazon and participating locations of Aldi, ShopRite, The Fresh Grocer and Walmart.
NJ SNAP serves about 800,500 New Jerseyans in about 411,500 households, with the monthly SNAP benefit based on household size and income.
Residents can visit njhelps.org to see if they’re eligible for SNAP and apply.
