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LANSING, Mich. – All Michigan families who are eligible for food assistance benefits are receiving an additional monthly payment in October in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced recently.
More than 1.25 million Michiganders in close to 700,000 households will receive additional food assistance benefits.
Eligible clients will see additional food assistance benefits on their Bridge Card from Oct. 23 through Nov. 1. These benefits will be loaded onto Bridge Cards as a separate payment from the assistance that is provided earlier in the month.
“Helping families address food insecurity during the pandemic is one of MDHHS’s top priorities,” said Lewis Roubal, senior deputy director for opportunity.
“With help from our federal partners, we are helping families put more nutritious food on the table,” Roubal added.
Some Michiganders began receiving additional food assistance in April 2020 after the beginning of the pandemic that started the month before. In May 2021, all eligible households began getting extra monthly benefits. Federal approval is necessary every month.
All households eligible for SNAP receive an increase of at least $95 monthly, even if they are already receiving the maximum payment or are close to that amount. Households that received over $95 to bring them to the maximum payment for their group size will continue to receive that larger amount.
Below are the maximum allowable benefits for SNAP customers based on their respective household size:
- One Person: $250
- Two Persons: $459
- Three Persons: $658
- Four Persons: $835
- Five Persons: $992
- Six Persons: $1,190
- Seven Persons: $1,316
- Eight Persons: $1,504
The federal government is providing additional funding to states for food assistance under House Resolution 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
Eligible families do not need to re-apply to receive the additional benefits. People who receive food assistance can check their benefits balance on their Michigan Bridge Card by going online to www.michigan.gov/MIBridges or calling a consumer service representative toll-free at 888-678-8914. They can ask questions about the additional benefits by calling or emailing their caseworker.
Customer service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Spanish and Arabic service is available. If you are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing or speech-impaired, call the Michigan Relay Center at 7-1-1.
Information around the COVID-19 outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.
