Executive Council approves increased eligibility for food assistance program

More people will be eligible for a food assistance program after the Executive Council approved increasing the eligibility threshold Wednesday.

Now people earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level will qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which was previously available only to those earning 185 percent of the poverty level. For a household of four, this means that a family earning up to $55,500 would qualify, up from the previous cutoff of $51,337.

The change came after a study committee formed by the Legislature in 2019 recommended the Department of Health and Human Services increase the income limit in order to close what’s called the cliff effect – when wages from a new job don’t make up for the loss of state benefits.

“SNAP benefits will decline gradually instead of dropping suddenly,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services request.

“Many individuals and families are currently experiencing difficulty in meeting the nutritional needs of their families due to the increased cost of food, housing, and utilities,” it states.

Each dollar spent on SNAP programs generates more than $1.50 in local economic activity, according to Moody’s Analytics.

The SNAP program is federally funded through the United States Department of Agriculture. New eligibility levels will take effect on Oct. 1.