SNAP provides help to people with lower incomes so they can have healthy foods, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or more popularly known as the Food Stamp Program, provides nutritional support to low-income seniors income, people with disabilities living on fixed incomes, and other low-income individuals and families.
SNAP is a federal program administered by the Office of Economic Self-Sufficiency (ESS) of the State of Florida Department of Children and Families, which is responsible for determining eligibility using federal guidelines, eligibility rules, and benefit levels. SNAP is largely set at the federal level and is consistent across the country; although states have flexibility to adapt aspects of the program, individuals must pass all eligibility rules to receive food assistance benefits.
SNAP Benefits in New Mexico
Hundreds of New Mexico residents who are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will see increases in their benefits starting October 1, 2024. On Monday, the state also made an announcement of other changes to the program, including extended certification periods and expanded eligibility. “It’s a big increase for a lot of families,” said Cody Jeff, a benefits attorney with the New Mexico State Poverty and Law Center. “That could mean the difference between eating the rest of the week.”
SNAP beneficiaries aged 60 or older, as well as disabled people, will receive an increase in their state supplement, which will raise the minimum benefit from $32 to $100 per month. The state Health Care Authority said the increase will help approximately 26,451 families. “I think it will have a big impact, especially for our elderly population and people with disabilities, because they often have very fixed incomes,” said Niki Kozlowski, director of the Health Care Authority’s Income Support Division. Mexico.
Other Important Changes Coming to NM Food Stamps
“No New Mexican should go hungry. By expanding access to SNAP and increasing benefits, we ensure that more families, seniors, and people with disabilities have the support they need to live with dignity and safety,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a news release. “These changes are a step forward in our ongoing efforts to reduce hunger and strengthen the well-being of our communities.”
Other changes that will take effect include an extension of the benefit renewal (certification) period, which will be extended from 12 months to 36 months for SNAP recipients who are 60 years of age or older and for those with disabilities who do not have income labor. SNAP eligibility guidelines will also have an increase from 165% to 200% of the federal poverty limit for all food stamps recipients.
Thousand to Access SNAP Benefits in NM
The state said this change will allow about 67,697 additional New Mexico families to be eligible to receive essential food assistance. “We are very pleased that the state of New Mexico is moving forward with these changes to SNAP, and they are actually expansions of SNAP to these programs that will really help make more New Mexicans eligible,” Jeff explained.