Most States Are Easing SNAP Participation Rules
The recently passed Families First Coronavirus Response Act helps support states in responding to the rising demands for SNAP benefits, helping recently unemployed or struggling families keep food on the table. Researchers at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities examined the many provisions in the Act that allow states to expand SNAP benefits and streamline the process. The Act allows states to increase benefits through emergency allotment, whereby SNAP households can receive up to the maximum benefit for two months; and pandemic EBT, where states can submit requests to provide meal replacement benefits to families whose children would have received free and reduced meals from school. The Act also loosens certain requirements and extends reporting deadlines, including the ability for states to waive interviews during the application or benefit recertification periods.