A permanent increase has been announced for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients beginning in October.
According to information from the USDA, benefits will rise by more than 25 percent for all 42 million beneficiaries, raising the average monthly per-person benefit from $121 to $157.
The increase would raise the $79 billion annual cost by about $20 billion verses pre-pandemic levels and according to the USDA, about 11 percent of the country’s population is covered by the program.
A temporary 15-percent increase in benefits that was part of the pandemic relief program is set to expire Sept. 30. That increase totaled $3.5 billion and increased the monthly benefits by about $27 per person or over $100 for a family of four.
The increase is the largest boost in the history of the program.
