Emergency SNAP benefits expire at end of May

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — May is the last month for Hoosiers to get emergency benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

The benefits were introduced in March 2020 as a kind of safety net during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Lindsey Riddick, SNAP outreach manager at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana.

“During the pandemic emergency allotments, they were taking away all requirements around receiving SNAP benefits,” Riddick said. “Before, you had to do income requirements and household requirements. [During the pandemic] it was just by household, so every household was getting the max benefits. If you were a one-person, you were getting the max benefits for a one person household and so forth.”

The end of emergency benefits means that in June, the amount of SNAP benefits a household receives will change, said Sarah Estell, director of communications at Gleaners.

“SNAP benefits will go back to how they were pre-pandemic. It will be based on eligibility factors,” Estell said. “That includes [things like] household size and income.”

Gleaners offers SNAP benefits assistance to those who may qualify for the program.