HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - As the coronavirus pandemic continues, about 117,000 Connecticut households are poised to receive additional food benefits on Feb. 18, the state Department of Social Services announced Tuesday.
DSS said it will provide $19 million in Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance benefits to more than half of SNAP-eligible households in the state. To date, more than $197 million in emergency food benefits have been disbursed over the past 10 months to Connecticut households.
The extra food benefits, authorized by the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, will be provided to households not currently receiving the maximum level of benefits allowed for the size. This now means all households enrolled in SNAP will receive the maximum food benefit.
The average emergency benefit on Feb. 18 will be $155.77.
Meanwhile, there have been 869 confirmed and probable cases of COVID in Connecticut since Monday and 16 COVID-associated deaths, for a total of 7,298. The number of hospitalizations increased by 11 to 826. New Haven County has the largest number of people hospitalized, at 272.
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