RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – The amount of money Virginians who take part in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is going down. The change in SNAP, which used to be called Food Stamps, happens Nov 1.
The reason? Stimulus money used to increase SNAP payments several years ago is now going away.
“The April 2009 increase in SNAP benefits resulting from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the Stimulus Package) will expire based on federal legislation that allowed the provision to sunset,” explained director of Benefit Programs, Thomas Steinhauser. “For a family of four receiving the maximum benefit, the cut will be $36 per month. For many households this cut will be significant.”
The Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS) said most households will see a 5.6 percent decrease in their SNAP allotments.
The DSS provided a chart to illustrate a rough estimate of the impact.
SNAP clients are encouraged to visit the Virginia Department of Social Services web siteand click on Benefit Changes –October/November 2013 or call the Virginia Department of Social Services at 1-800-552-3431.
