Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) has joined other agencies both federal and state in responding positively to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this case it has increased its funding of the officially titled Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but more commonly known as food stamps, by a healthy $66 million. The funding was actually approved back on April 3 and went into effect without delay.
Those additional funds are going directly to food stamp recipients and has covered payments for April and will do so for May. The result of the increase in funds is that everyone who was already receiving food stamps became eligible for the full amount of food stamps for their household. That means that if, for example, you are living in a household of three you’ll be receiving the maximum food stamp allocation of $509 in May no matter how much you were receiving back at the beginning of the year. If you were already receiving that full amount you won’t see an increase. Regular funding and food stamp allocation is currently planned to go back to normal in June.
In another change that came into effect at the very beginning of the pandemic’s arrival in the United States but may not have been widely reported, re-certifications that were due to happen in March, April or May have been suspended until September, October and November respectively.
For a quick look at this change you can go here: http://dhs.maryland.gov/documents/COVID-19/Emergency%20Allotment.pdf