Dear Friends,

We're dedicated to removing the barriers that people face when trying to access SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, and that's why we do more than just help clients complete their applications and renewals over the phone. When someone is wrongly denied SNAP benefits or not receiving all of the benefits they should, our SNAP Hotline provides case management to get clients the assistance they deserve. It can be complicated and frustrating when benefits are denied or delayed, so we advocate on our clients' behalf to resolve any issues preventing qualified individuals and families from accessing SNAP benefits. 

Here's a story about the real-life impact we provide through case management, on our SNAP Hotline:

SNAP Hotline in Action 

In June, our SNAP Hotline team completed an application for a client who was working during the month of May but became sick and stopped working. Her benefits were denied when the County Assistance Office (CAO) was unable to get in touch with her employer to confirm she was no longer working. When Alejandra, our SNAP Hotline Manager, saw the benefits were denied, she reached out to the client's employer and got a letter stating that the client’s last day was May 29th. This letter was submitted on behalf of the client, and after the CAO received it, her application was approved.

When the benefits were received, Alejandra knew the client was entitled to more. She reached out to the CAO again and learned that they had not taken rent into consideration. The CAO thought the client was able to pay all of her rent, but she was receiving help from her sister. Alejandra then submitted a letter from the landlord stating that the sister was helping with rent. Finally, on August 1, the client received the correct benefit amount and retroactive benefits to make up for what she should have been receiving. Thanks to Alejandra's continued follow up, this client is now receiving the benefits she is entitled to.

If you would like assistance from our SNAP Hotline team, they are available to help Monday – Thursday from 9:00am to 5:00 pm and on Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Give our SNAP Hotline team a call at 215-430-0556. Asistencia también disponible en Español. 

If you know of an opportunity where we could interact with the community or your organization, please reach out to our Community Educator, Alison Volz at [email protected].

Policy and Advocacy

Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) Update: In our last email, we reported that a P-EBT glitch caused some P-EBT cards to get inadvertently deactivated when Stage 2 benefits were issued. As part of this glitch, new cards were accidentally sent to families with the same number as the original card, causing the new card to also be deactivated. If this was the case for you, you do not need to do anything to request a replacement card. An actual replacement card with a new number is already on its way to you!

To learn more about P-EBT benefits being issued for the 2021-2022 school year, see the P-EBT Frequently Asked Questions on our partner, Just Harvest’s website. 

Summer P-EBT: While Pennsylvania does not yet have a Summer P-EBT plan approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), we anticipate that Pennsylvania will distribute summer P-EBT benefits some time this fall. We expect that benefits will be distributed to all students who are enrolled in the Free and Reduced-Price School Meals program. If your child is not yet enrolled in this program, it is not too late! If you apply by August 31, they may be eligible to receive a summer P-EBT payment sometime this fall. You can apply directly with your school or visit compass.state.pa.us.

Impact of SNAP Increases: Over the course of the Pandemic, we’ve seen important SNAP increases that have helped families put food on the table. These increases include:

• The reevaluation of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP): In August 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated the TFP, which is used to calculate SNAP benefit amounts. This was the first update since it was introduced in 1975. The reevaluation of the TFP resulted in an increase to SNAP benefits of around 21%.
• Emergency Allotments (EAs): EAs are the extra SNAP payments that households get in the second half of the month to help them with the cost of food during the pandemic. EAs bump all SNAP participants up to at least the maximum SNAP benefit for their household size, and maybe more. Emergency Allotments are tied to the Federal Public Health Emergency.

New research, published this month by the Urban Institute, shows the effect these important SNAP increases have had in keeping families out of poverty. The combined effect of the reevaluated TFP and SNAP EAs reduced poverty by 14.1% and child poverty by 21.8% in the months of October-December 2021. Additionally, the poverty reduction was highest for Black and Hispanic SNAP participants, which reduced disparities between racial groups. This research shows that adequate SNAP benefits are necessary to support families. With adequate benefit amounts, SNAP can be not only an important anti-hunger program, but also an important anti-poverty program. At the Coalition Against Hunger, we will keep fighting for adequate SNAP benefit amounts to help participants lead healthy lives.