Extra food stamp aid for thousands of Hoosiers will end in May

Holly V. Hays and Kaitlin Lange, Indianapolis Star
·5 min read

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include new information from the Family and Social Services Administration.

Gov. Eric Holcomb on Thursday signed a bill that will sunset the enhanced federal food aid thousands of Hoosiers have received for nearly two years.

Since April 2020, federal COVID-19 emergency funding has allowed Hoosiers enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly referred to as food stamps, to receive the maximum allotment for their household size.

Under House Bill 1001, which Holcomb signed late Thursday afternoon, set an expiration date for these benefits of April 16. According to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, the enhanced benefits will last through May, meaning Hoosiers will receive their regular amounts beginning in June.

The bill passed the Senate on Tuesday, and the House voted to concur Thursday afternoon.

More: End of Indiana's public emergency in sight after Senate OKs bill limiting vaccine mandates

In November, Holcomb told lawmakers anxious to end the state's emergency declaration he would do so if they could ensure three pandemic measures would remain in place: enhanced funding for Medicaid and SNAP and provisions allowing for the vaccination of children ages 5 to 11.

On Thursday — prior to the bill landing on his desk — Holcomb said he looked forward to a return to quasi-normalcy.

"We're nearing a time where we can move back to a more normal formula — this is in addition to, not less than, previous," Holcomb said. "So, we're moving back to that as we transition from pandemic to endemic, back to those more normal times."

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Ending the enhanced assistance drew sharp criticism this week from both hunger relief advocates and lawmakers who voiced concerns that although COVID-19 cases are declining, Indiana families are still navigating the effects of the pandemic.

During a Tuesday hearing, Sen. Mark Messmer, R-Jasper, said the initial bump was prompted by the skyrocketing unemployment rates early in the pandemic, the idea being that, as Indiana’s unemployment rate has decreased, the need for additional food aid is no longer as dire.

Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, said during Tuesday’s hearing that he “struggled tremendously” with the argument, noting a significant number of SNAP recipients in Indiana are working.

“More people need our help,” Taylor said.

Hunger relief advocate: 'Hoosiers are still being squeezed from all sides'

The number of Hoosiers receiving SNAP benefits has decreased over the last year, but has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

In January, over 607,800 Hoosiers received SNAP totaling $151,552,964, according to data provided by the Family and Social Services Administration. In March 2020, the number of Hoosiers enrolled in SNAP was 566,214. Enrollment jumped to 626,860 the following month.

“Now is not the time to roll back this important program to help Hoosier families access food. Hoosiers are still being squeezed from all sides,” Emily Weikert Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, said in a written statement Tuesday. “Inflation, particularly in food, gas, rent, plus utilities and other costs are greatly impacting Hoosiers and our food banks.”

Jessica Fraser, director of the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute, also condemned the provision.

“SNAP emergency allotments, coupled with other recovery efforts, kept our most vulnerable families from the brink of financial disaster," Fraser said in a written statement Tuesday. "Recovery efforts are winding down but families who were struggling before the pandemic remain financially vulnerable. Cutting off support too soon will only make matters worse.”

Kate Howe, executive director of Indy Hunger Network, told IndyStar SNAP benefits have historically not met the full need of the families they support, but the maximum allotment has alleviated some of their financial burden, freeing up time and funds to address other areas of need.

"Those SNAP benefits are stretching a lot farther and doing a lot more to actually cover the food that they need," she said, "so that they can spend their other dollars on other things that they need."

The maximum allotments have also helped offset the pressure on hunger relief organizations that scrambled to meet a sharp increase in demand when the pandemic first hit Indiana. An Indy Hunger Network report in late 2020 found that available food assistance doubled but need quadrupled between February and June 2020.

In Marion County, hunger has remained a persistent issue. Indy Hunger Network's annual Hunger Study found last year that, despite an overall decrease in food insecurity, 25% of Indianapolis residents in need of assistance missed meals over the course of a single week.

Not having that maximum allotment means families would have to readjust.

"When people are making income low enough to qualify for SNAP, there's really not any slack in their budget to begin with," she said. "So, really, probably what it means is increased visits to food pantries, hot meal sites, summer meal programs and going back to trying to piece together the food that they need through multiple sources."

That can be a lot of added stress for some families.

"If you're trying to work or raise kids or whatever else, it just makes procuring enough food for your family like an extra job," Howe said.

Indiana SNAP aid: What happens next?

SNAP benefits won't revert to pre-pandemic levels — a cost-of-living adjustment in October 2020 raised household maximums by 5%, and a reevaluation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Thrifty Food Plan — the basis of SNAP benefit calculations — increased the plan’s budget by over 20%.

Household maximums, through September 2022, are:

  • 1: $250

  • 2: $459

  • 3: $658

  • 4: $835

  • 5: $992

  • 6: $1,190

  • 7: $1,316

  • 8: $1,504

  • Each additional person: add $188

The USDA projected Indiana could see as much as $298 million in additional benefits this fiscal year because of increases to the Thrifty Food Plan, which, except for occasional cost-of-living adjustments, had gone without major update since the 1970s.

Do you need food assistance?

Indy Hunger Network's Community Compass app is free to download in the App Store and Google Play and offers an interactive map of locations where you can find a free meal and groceries and information about eligibility to assistance programs like SNAP.

If you do not have a smart phone, you can also text "hi" to 317-434-3758 from any mobile phone to be connected with assistance. Information is available in nearly a dozen languages, including Spanish, Burmese, French and Arabic.

Call IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange at 317-432-9270. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.

You can reach IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at holly.hays@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana SNAP aid: House Bill 1001 ends benefit boost