Emergency benefits were made available on March 25 to Virginia Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants during the months of March and April, as part of a provision set forth by the Families First Coronavirus Responses Act of 2020.

Under this provision, the Virginia Department of Social Services will issue the emergency benefits to any household not already receiving the maximum benefits. The emergency benefits will allow the household’s current monthly allotment to increase to the maximum allotment for a household of that size.

The maximum monthly allotment for a single individual is $194; $355 for a household of two; $509 for three; increasing to $1,164 for a family of eight with $146 for each additional person.

“We must make sure that no Virginian goes hungry during this time of crisis,” said VDSS Commissioner S. Duke Storen. “Increasing the resources available to low-income Virginians to purchase food is vital to fighting hunger.”

The emergency benefits for March were released on March 25 and automatically load to recipients’ SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. SNAP households will receive their regular April benefits on their usual issuance date, with emergency benefits added on April 16.

Currently, over 680,000 individuals receive SNAP benefits within the commonwealth. On average, the monthly SNAP benefit per participant is $119.

Individuals seeking to apply for SNAP benefits may apply online through CommonHelp at https://commonhelp.virginia.gov or by phone to 855-635-4370.