Florida extends food stamp benefits for families as it deals with application backlog
Florida is increasing food stamp benefits for some families into the month of May, as the number of the state’s unemployed has swelled amid the coronavirus crisis.
Gov. Ron DeSantis also announced the state is reassigning more than 1,300 employees at the Department of Children and Families to deal with Florida’s backlog of applications for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program and an increase in calls.
State authorities said in a statement that DCF had received nearly a million applications since the start of the public health emergency.
“These timely and proactive efforts taken by DCF helps ensure the good people of Florida have access to the support and resources they need,” said DeSantis in a statement, adding that about 3 million residents in Florida rely on the program.
The announced extension of SNAP benefits, which the federal government approved in March and April, allows eligible families to receive up to a maximum amount of benefits per people in a household. For a family of four, for example, the maximum monthly amount is $646. For a family of eight, the maximum benefit is $1,164. The increase does not apply to families that have already reached the cap.
The extension also extends a federal waiver of working requirements for beneficiaries of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a program that supports self-sufficiency in families.
More than 1.47 million households in Florida relied on food stamps as of March, according to DCF data, a number that appeared to be decreasing before a slight uptick last month. That includes nearly 330,000 homes in Miami-Dade County and more than 123,800 in Broward County.
While authorities did not specify how many public assistance applications have been processed, authorities said DCF’s Economic Self-Sufficiency program has cleared almost 70% of public assistance applications it has received during the public health emergency.
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
