Another round of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, payments are be issued to recipients in Alabama during the month of April, but not everyone will be paid on the same date.
SNAP benefits are paid to low- and no-income households in Alabama and across the U.S. to help recipients buy groceries. They are commonly referred to as food stamps. Amounts are paid monthly to beneficiaries.
Payments are scheduled to start rolling out between April 4th and April 23rd in the Yellowhammer State. However, the news magazine Newsweek reports that in Alabama, the date recipients are paid depends on their case number. For example, those who have a case number that ends in 01 will get their benefits earlier in the month than those who have a case number ending in 99.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, reaching 38 million people nationwide in 2019 alone. In fiscal year 2022, the center reports that the federal assistance program helped 761,100 Alabama residents, or 15% of the state population (1 in 7). That’s along with 41,206,900 participants in the United States, or 12% of the total population (1 in 8).
Many Alabama households struggle to put food on the table. The most recent data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities show:
--13.1% of households were “food insecure,” meaning that their access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources
--16.1% of the population lived below the poverty line
--22.2% of children lived below the poverty line
--11.4% of older adults lived below the poverty line
--SNAP reaches populations in need: 79% of eligible individuals participated in SNAP in Alabama in 2018, and 77% of eligible workers participated
SNAP lifted 144,000 people above the poverty line in Alabama, including 65,000 children, per year between 2014 and 2018, on average, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
The Alabama Department of Human Resources website states the purpose of the food assistance program in the Yellowhammer State is to end hunger and improve nutrition by providing monthly benefits to eligible low income households to help them buy the food they need for good health.
The eligibility rules and benefit amounts, based on income and household size, are determined by regulations issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Applications for the Food Assistance Program are available in all county DHR offices.
Click here for more information on SNAP benefits in Alabama, including eligibility and application details.
