Getty A woman receives bags with food as Volunteers from City harvest distribute food in New York City on March 28, 2020.
Everyone in the U.S. has been affected by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the state that’s been hardest hit is New York. As of April 1 at 3:10 p.m., the New York State Health Department had 83,712 positive cases listed, with 47,439 of those in New York City.
The city is virtually shut down with the measure New York State on PAUSE, which asks all non-essential workers to stay at home and requires a social distancing of 6 feet from others in public. People have been laid off or furloughed and are struggling to get by, especially when it comes to getting food.
Here’s what you need to know about applying for emergency food benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic:
Emergency Food Benefits Are Available Through the Federal SNAP Benefits Program
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal program, but each state has the flexibility to run their program how they choose. The term food stamps has now been replaced by SNAP benefits, and those benefits let people purchase food.
People have to apply online, and once they’re in the SNAP program, states will issue them SNAP benefits on a card known as the “EBT card.” That stands for the Electronic Benefit Transfer card. The EBT card can be scanned at any grocery store that is a participating SNAP store.
People Can Apply for SNAP Benefits in New York State Online or By Phone & All Negative Actions on Cases Have Been Halted
The state of New York has canceled all in-person appointments for SNAP applications. There are still many different ways to apply for food benefits. The application form is available online at this link.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City has determined that there are to be no negative actions taken on anyone’s case. All recertifications for SNAP have been postponed and individuals with an upcoming recertification will not need to recertify to continue receiving benefits.
Expedited benefits are available in New York State for individuals who meet certain conditions of income and cash access. This would give the applicant their SNAP benefit within five days of applying. According to the website, “the only way to determine if your household is eligible for SNAP benefits is to apply,” although some guidelines are listed.
The income guidelines are provided and vary based on the household size and whether the family includes an elderly or disabled member, or households with dependent care expenses. Households applying for SNAP also don’t need to pass a savings test to get benefits, so any assets aren’t considered during the eligibility phase.
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