Virginia SNAP receipts have been getting emergency benefits on top of their regular benefits for almost three years. But that additional assistance is coming to an end.
Virginia Department of Social Services announced that the final round of emergency benefits will be loaded onto EBT cards on February 16.
In March, SNAP recipients will only receive their regular benefits on the normal scheduled day, which is the 1st, 4th, or 7th of each month.
Emergency SNAP was made possible by Congress in 2020. Although some states have already stopped offering the additional benefits, Virginia was one of many states requesting an extension on a month-to-month basis.
But in late December, after President Joe Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, ended the option for states and territories to provide emergency SNAP after February.
This is set to impact a lot of Virginians at a time when the nation is grappling with serious food inflation. According to, to Virginia DSS, since 2020, emergency allotments have been issued to over 900,000 residents in the Commonwealth.
And there’s potentially more bad news for some SNAP recipients who receive Social Security.
The increase in Social Security benefits that went into effect in January may reduce the amount of regular SNAP benefits some people qualify for, the USDA announced.
Where that’s the case, it won’t be a dollar-for-dollar decrease, and recipients will experience a net gain, the USDA said because their Social Security increase will be more than the SNAP decrease.
Follow the Watchful Eye on Twitter so you never miss a story and important updates.
Did You Know: A Push to Cut Virginia’s Pet License Fees Was Shut Down?
Want to submit tips or story suggestions to the Watchful Eye? Email 4watchfuleye@protonmail.com. Want to support this independent news channel? Do it here. Any and all is greatly appreciated!
Comments / 2