The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program in Louisiana households will face benefit cuts next year as a result of the cost of living adjustments to federal programs.
The Americans will start the New Year with a new one-time relief payment worth between $50 to $1,200, but only certain people are eligible.
The Louisiana Department
The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services recently announced 145,330 SNAP families or around 34% of Louisianans receiving the food stamps, would see an average reduction of approximately $47.15 in monthly benefits starting in January.
Federal Social Security Retirement, Survivors and Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income, and some Veterans Administration payouts all experienced a fall of 8.7% as a result of the cost of living adjustments. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics bases its COLA calculation on the Consumer Price Index, and the rise in 2023 will be the biggest since the 11.2% increase in 1981
According to DCFS, Monthly payments for individual Social Security users will boost on average from $1,680 to $1,827 more than $140 per month. Additionally, the maximum monthly income for SSI claimants will rise by $73 in 2023, from $814 to $914.
SNAP Benefit Reduction
As news from SmartNews, the increases are pushing many over the eligibility limit for SNAP and other programs, including the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program, and Kinship Care Subsidy Program.
With the reduction in SNAP payments, 1,414 Louisianans who receive SNAP will go over the eligibility limit and lose all of their benefits. Roughly 1% of FITAP and KCP households would also see benefit reductions.
In addition to DCFS, SNAP beneficiaries currently receive Emergency Allotments, bringing them to the maximum benefit level for their household size. The Benefit reductions for these households could not be apparent until Emergency Allotments expire once the Public Health Emergency ends.
At the beginning of January, DCFS will start making income adjustments to SNAP and FITAP applicants based on information in an electronic file of Social Security Administration benefit levels. The organization advises households that are losing having their benefits reduced to get in touch with Louisiana 211 for information on further help.
