Here’s Why Some Maine Residents Got Additional SNAP Money This Month

Formerly referred to as Food Stamps, the SNAP program has been around for decades.  The program is meant to help families in Maine (and the rest of the country) combat food insecurity.

Typically, people get the same amount of SNAP benefits each month.  However, some recipients are saying that they recently got more than they normally do.

According to an article on the WMTW website, Maine officials say some Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients may have noticed extra money on their benefit cards Friday, and they want people to know it is not a mistake or a scam.

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According to the Office for Family Independence within the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, the additional payment was issued to some SNAP households to correct a previous federal delay in calculating benefits related to utility allowances.

If your household did get extra money this month, you should have gotten a letter explaining the reason for the additional amount.

woman in brown coat walking on hallway

Not every SNAP household received the additional money. State officials said some recipients had already received the correct benefit amount for utility allowances.

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About 170,000 people receive SNAP benefits in Maine, and most also qualify for utility allowances.