SANTA FE – New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) on Friday announced it is distributing an enhanced payment of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to households that did not receive the maximum SNAP benefits during the months of March and April.
“HSD is doing everything in its power to ensure New Mexicans will NOT go hungry during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Karmela Martinez, director of HSD’s Income Support Division which administers the SNAP program, formally known as food stamps. “These additional SNAP benefits are intended to help alleviate some of the social and economic stresses caused by the pandemic.”
The additional SNAP payment is intended to provide some relief for families impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Eligible individuals include current SNAP customers who received less than the maximum SNAP benefit for the months of March and/or April. These customers will receive the new payment in addition to their existing benefits beginning on April 12, 2020.
SNAP benefits are determined by a household size and net income amount. The net income amount is determined by taking the household’s gross income and subtracting allowable deductions. Allowable deductions are items like, housing, utilities, childcare costs and medical expenses. The net monthly income is then multiplied by 30 percent, the number that remains is subtracted from the maximum monthly allotment, and the remaining amount is the total allotment for the household size.
New applicants approved for SNAP benefits during the months of March and April will receive the maximum SNAP benefit for both months.
HSD projects that approximately 137,000 households will receive additional benefits for March and 126,000 for April 2020 or approximately 316,685 individuals. The average increase in SNAP benefits will be approximately $120 per household.
Below is a table that reflects the maximum monthly allotment per household size.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP Oct. 1, 2019 – Sept. 30, 2020 | |
Household Size | Maximum SNAP Monthly Allotment |
1 | $194 |
2 | $355 |
3 | $509 |
4 | $646 |
5 | $768 |
6 | $921 |
7 | $1,018 |
8 | $1,164 |
+ Each Additional Person | +$146 |
The Human Services Department provides services and benefits to more than 1 million New Mexicans through several programs including: the Medicaid Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Support Program, and several Behavioral Health Services.