Additional Food Assistance for 350,000 Michigan Families in response to COVID-19 Emergency extended through June

LANSING, June 2020: Approximately 350,000 Michigan families will continue to have access to additional food assistance benefits during the month of June as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) have announced.

Michigan previously approved the additional food assistance for March, April and May - and now that is being extended for the month of June with approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service.

"As we carefully move Michigan to the next phase of the MI Safe Start Plan, it's important to note that many families who have been impacted by the pandemic still need help putting nutritious food on the table," Gov. Whitmer said. "MDHHS, its dedicated staff, and I remain committed to helping them as our state recovers from the impact of the pandemic."

Eligible clients will see additional food assistance benefits on their Bridge Card by June 30, with payments beginning for some households on June 20. Additional benefits will be loaded onto Bridge Cards as a separate payment from the assistance that is provided earlier in the month.

Nearly 1.5 million people in Michigan receive federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through the state's Food Assistance Program

Households eligible for Food Assistance Program benefits will receive additional benefits in June to bring all current SNAP cases to the maximum monthly allowance for that group size. This change only applies to customers not currently receiving the maximum benefit amount. The 350,000 households that receive increased benefits represent close to 50 percent of the 729,669 of Michigan households that receive food assistance. The remaining households already receive the maximum benefit.

The table below shows the maximum allowable benefit for SNAP customers based on their respective household size:

One Person: $194

Two Persons: $355

Three Persons: $509

Four Persons: $646

Five Persons: $768

Six Persons: $921

Seven Persons: $1,018

Eight Persons: $1,164

The federal government is providing additional funding to states for food assistance under House Resolution 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

Eligible families do not need to re-apply to receive the additional benefits. People who receive food assistance can check their benefits balance on their Michigan Bridge Card by going online to MIBridges a consumer service representative toll-free at 888-678-8914. They can ask questions about the additional benefits by calling or emailing their caseworker.

Customer service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Spanish and Arabic service is available. If you are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing or speech-impaired, call the Michigan Relay Center at 7-1-1.

Information around the COVID-19 outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/ Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.