They also were shocked at how little I actually got each month, because they assumed you were supposed to get a lot more money.
You get something like $300 a month maximum, and that is if you are making $0 anywhere else. As soon as you get any type of income it plummets to $50, which is hardly even worth the hoops they make you jump through.
I just checked my State’s rules. [0] The maximum benefit is given by the “thrifty” food plan, which is cheaper than the USDA’s “low cost” food plan.
For a 20 year old woman, that is $242.30 a month. From there, you compute 30% of your net monthly income, and subtract it from your SNAP allotment.
If the result is too low, this provision kicks in:
Except during an initial month, all eligible one and two-person households will receive a minimum monthly allotment of $16, and all eligible households with three or more members which are entitled to $1, $3, or $5 allotments will receive allotments of $2, $4, or $6, respectively.
You get something like $300 a month maximum, and that is if you are making $0 anywhere else. As soon as you get any type of income it plummets to $50, which is hardly even worth the hoops they make you jump through.
I just checked my State’s rules. [0] The maximum benefit is given by the “thrifty” food plan, which is cheaper than the USDA’s “low cost” food plan.
For a 20 year old woman, that is $242.30 a month. From there, you compute 30% of your net monthly income, and subtract it from your SNAP allotment.
If the result is too low, this provision kicks in:
Truly a golden ticket. /s
[0] https://dhs.maryland.gov/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program/food-supplement-program-manual/ (section 409)
[1] https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/Cost_Of_Food_Thrifty_Food_Plan_January_2024.pdf
https://www.fns.usda.gov/cnpp/usda-food-plans-cost-food-monthly-reports
Wow! You could buy a whole single bread with all that cash.
$50 in groceries equates to about 4 meals nowadays in my area if you are ok with not eating meat.
ALL these government programs ignore inflation, and food costs have skyrocketed above inflation.
When I had a job making $7.35 an hour at a dollar store and applied for food stamps in NC, I got $16.00 a month.