SNAP Benefit Increase For Sandy-Related Food Loss

Residents along the shoreline enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will receive increased benefits under the program this weekend to replace storm-related food losses, Gov. Dannel Malloy has announced.

According to End Hunger Connecticut, the numbers of those who receive SNAP assistance, which was previously referred to as food stamps, in area towns include:

• East Haven - 2,683
• North Haven - 784
• North Branford - 396
• Branford - 1,406

The Malloy administration is increasing the aid to all SNAP recipients in Connecticut under the state's application for $4.5 million in replacement food benefits from the federal government for residents in areas hit hardest by power outages and flooding  from Hurricane Sandy.

The state's request was approved in two stages this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, Malloy said in a press release.

A total of 73,383 SNAP-enrolled households (over 130,000 people) will automatically receive 25 percent of their October benefit amount in electronic benefit transfer accounts this Saturday.

SNAP benefits can be used only for federally-approved food items at supermarkets, grocery stores and farmers’ markets, according to Malloy’s office.

“This equates to replacement benefits ranging from $4 to over $300, depending on income and household size,” said Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby of the Department of Social Services, the administering agency for SNAP.  “The average replacement benefit is estimated at $62.”

Connecticut joins Rhode Island, New York, Maryland and Virginia in gaining federal approval to issue automatic, replacement benefits to eligible households in certain areas affected by the storm, the release said.