The end of a pandemic-era expansion of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits could leave millions of older Americans struggling to eat affordably at a time when inflation has driven grocery prices sharply higher.
SNAP, previously known as food stamps, is the federal government’s largest program for fighting hunger and food insecurity, serving roughly 41 million people nationwide in 2022. In March 2020, Congress passed a coronavirus response law that temporarily increased the amount of financial assistance people in the program received. As of March 1, 2023, the program will no longer issue those additional benefits, called Emergency Allotments (EA). That means that monthly SNAP benefits will return to levels based on their income and household size.
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