Release: SNAP Emergency Allotments End This Month

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SNAP Emergency Allotments have been critical to Kansans and their families. This press release details what to expect as allotments come to an end.

Published 2023-03-01

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 1, 2023

For more information, contact: Haley Kottler, hkottler@kansasappleseed.org, 405-308-2145

SNAP food assistance emergency allotments end this month

Topeka, KS — Emergency SNAP allotments, which began in 2020 due to the pandemic, end this month. Kansans utilizing SNAP food assistance will see their benefit amount drop by an average of $82 per month per person, or more than $300 a month for a family of four. In Kansas, SNAP cuts will affect 63,000 households.

Emergency allotments ensure every person or family who qualifies for SNAP food assistance receives the maximum benefit. The allotments have been critical to reducing hunger during the pandemic and its recovery period.

What ending SNAP emergency allotments means for Kansans:

  • Kansans will see a drop in their benefits starting April 2023 due to the current disbursement schedule.
  • This change will not remove current recipients from receiving SNAP food assistance, but it will lower the amount Kansas families and individuals have received since spring of 2020.
  • Some families and individuals who are already at the maximum allotment level will not see changes to their monthly SNAP benefit.
  • The new average benefit will fall to $6 per person per day.
  • Many older adults who only qualify for the minimum SNAP benefit will drop from $281 a month to $23.

Expanding access to SNAP food assistance is key to mitigating hunger, especially with the ever-climbing grocery prices. According to Feeding America, SNAP provides nine meals for every one meal the food bank network can provide. While food pantries and soup kitchens statewide are working to fill this impending gap, staff members are already reporting feeling overwhelmed and under-resourced.

Kansans who utilize SNAP food assistance should contact their local Department for Children and Families office to maximize their deductions and prepare for this change. DCF offices can be located at bit.ly/DCFNearMe.

A fact sheet on Kansas SNAP emergency allotments from the Food Research and Action Center can be found here.

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Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice is a statewide organization that believes Kansans, working together, can build a state full of thriving, inclusive, and just communities. Kansas Appleseed conducts policy research and analysis and works with communities and partners to understand the root causes of problems and advocate for comprehensive solutions. For more information, visit: kansasappleseed.org.