Emergency allotments to benefit low-income individuals and families during the Covid-19 pandemic are coming to an end. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, a federal law change, no longer allows for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) emergency allotments. The last SNAP
emergency allotment will be paid in February 2023 and benefits will be reduced to pre-pandemic amounts beginning in March 2023.
An estimated 1.5 million of Ohio’s low-income households will lose at least $95 worth of food benefits a month, affecting approximately 80,000 older Ohioans. For people who received the minimum allotment of $23 per month prepandemic, emergency funding provided an additional $258 to total $281 per month.
This federal change causes a significant impact to older adults returning to minimum allotments.
In December 2022, the General Assembly passed House Bill 45 that included an additional $25 million for Ohio foodbanks. Older adults feeling the pinch of SNAP emergency allotment’s ending may visit their local foodbank or call the Area Agency on Aging at 937-223-HELP (4357) for information about additional
community supports.
Click here to learn more about specific changes to SNAP from the Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture