About 25,000 Connecticut residents who are losing their federal SNAP benefits due to stricter eligibility rules imposed by the Trump Administration can expect some state help this summer.
The state has announced plans to use $8.5 million from its Federal Cuts Response Fund, established by state lawmakers and administered by Governor Ned Lamont, to provide $300 grocery assistance cards to affected residents.
It’s a bridge to prevent people from going hungry, Lamont said on Wednesday.
“We are going to do everything we can to make sure that you are eligible for SNAP. And if you are not, we are going to make sure that we are able to take care of you,” he said
Connecticut and Illinois are the only states that have this level of response to the new federal eligibility rules, according to Department of Social Services Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves.
“Although it may not be enough in the eyes of some. It is certainly the very first and extremely important step in making sure that the people of this state who are losing their benefits have the security that they need while we support them," Barton Reeves said.
Under the plan, residents who lose their SNAP eligibility due to federal changes to work requirements will receive the cards while they are connected to services to help them regain SNAP eligibility, where possible.
The cards are expected to be available in August.
This is the fourth time that the Lamont Administration has tapped into the state’s $500 million federal cuts mitigation fund, which was created late last year.
The fund now has about $300 million left.
