DSS Announces Emergency Supplement for SNAP Households
DSS Announces Emergency Supplement for SNAP Households
COLUMBIA, SC – On March 13, 2020, Governor Henry McMaster declared a State of Emergency based on a determination that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) poses an actual or imminent public health emergency for the State of South Carolina. Due to economic conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) has received a federal waiver from the United States Department of Agriculture to provide two months of emergency SNAP supplements to address temporary food needs for SNAP households.
This emergency SNAP supplement will bring all households up to the maximum benefit amount, based on household size, regardless of income. SNAP households who already receive the maximum benefit amount will not receive an emergency supplement. Emergency supplements will be issued on a SNAP household’s EBT card. SNAP recipients who already received a benefit in March will receive an additional supplement on their EBT card on March 28, 2020. All program rules, including verification of income, are not waived due to this emergency supplement process. Eligible SNAP recipients will receive April benefits on their normal schedule at the maximum allotment level. The emergency supplement will be issued separately and may show up on a SNAP household’s EBT card several hours after the initial allotment. Newly approved SNAP cases will receive the maximum allotment level for March and
April. Emergency supplements for March will affect an estimated 176,000 households (about 66% of the total households currently receiving SNAP).
The maximum monthly SNAP allotments by household size are as follows:
Household Size Allotment
1 $194
2 $355
3 $509
4 $646
5 $768
6 $921
7 $1,018
8 $1,164
9 $1,310
10 $1,456
Each additional member $146
