May, 2015

Information for Verizon Workers

On April 13th more than 36,000 Verizon workers went on strike. Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline is here to help! If you or someone you know has been effected by the current strike and may be facing financial difficulties during this time, you may be eligible for SNAP. For a confidential screening and information on food resources call the FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333.

October, 2015

Change in COLA May Affect SNAP Benefit Amounts

Due to a decline in heating costs, the standard utility allowance used in SNAP calculations will be lowered from $634 to $620.Â For some SNAP households, this may result in a decrease in their monthly benefit amount.Â Â For more information on how your benefit may be affected you can call The FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 and one of the counselors will answer your questions and help to ensure you are maximizing your deductions to receive the full amount of SNAP benefits you are entitled to.

February, 2015

The deadline to request replacement benefits for food purchased with SNAP that was destroyed due to Winter Storm Juno has been extended to February 18th.Â You can receive benefits to replace food (purchased with SNAP benefits) that was destroyed due to a “household misfortune”, such as a power loss of 4 hours or more or flood/storm damage.

You can call the FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 to request a “Statement of Loss/Request For Replacement Food Due to Household Disaster or Misfortune Form”, go to http://tinyurl.com/mzsg7sv to print a form, or call DTA at 1-877-382-2363 to process your request.

SNAP Benefits Changes for Fall 2013

SNAP recipients will see two changes in their benefit amounts in Fall 2013:

In October, your benefits may increase slightly due to the cost of living adjustment.

In November, you will most likely see a decrease in your benefits due to the end of the additional benefits provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), commonly known as the stimulus package.

The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) will send you a notice in November explaining the changes and your new benefit amount.

If you have any questions or would like an estimate of how your benefits may change, please call the FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333. FoodSource Hotline counselor can also provide you with information on community food resources.

For more information from DTA you can visit: http://tinyurl.com/pregav9

For more information on the ARRA changes and other resources, please visit: www.masslegalservices.org/arra

Link to Department of Transitional Assistance

Link to United States Department of Agriculture

GettingSNAP.org is a resource created by Project Bread - The Walk for Hunger, Inc., and has been funded in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance. The contents of this website do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of USDA, nor does mention of tradenames, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.