After February, Michigan Will No Longer Provide Extra Food Assistance
Michigan families who have grown accustomed to additional SNAP benefits will soon see a reduction to the amount loaded to Bridge cards each month.
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Families Have Been Receiving Extra Benefits
Eligible Michigan families have been receiving at least an extra $95 per month from the SNAP - or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - during the pandemic. That extra money, meant to help low-income families who were enduring increased economic hardship during the last few years, will soon be discontinued.
The increased payments began in April 2020, shortly after the coronavirus pandemic began.
Federal Law Dictates Decreased Distributions
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Resources advises Michigan families that a change in federal law means the extra benefits will no longer be distributed after February.
Beginning with Bridge Card payments in March of 2023, the federal funding agreement will expire, and will no longer provide additional assistance.
This change affects approximately 1.3 individuals from about 700,000 Michigan households.
Crunching the Numbers
For instance, an individual whose net monthly income is $700 currently receives $281 in food assistance. In March, that amount will be reduced to $71, according to the MDHHS website.
A family of four with a net income of $1,700 that is currently receiving $939 in benefits will see those benefits reduced to $429 beginning in March.
The figures quoted from the MDHHS website are only examples, and actual amounts may vary based on other eligibility factors.