But Congress buried the early program cancellation in an expansive bill passed at the end of last year. So instead of reassessing everyone’s benefits, the federal government approved EA payments which gave people the maximum benefits for their family size, regardless of their income.ĮA payments were supposed to last through the end of April 2023. But SNAP offices were running at diminished capacity due to remote work, social distancing, and prioritizing enrolling people in the program for the first time. With widespread job losses caused by the pandemic, many families would have been eligible for increased SNAP benefits. But these payments officially ended this month.

Since April 2020, states have been giving SNAP recipients additional Emergency Allotment, or EA, payments on top of their regular benefits. Over 940,000 people are on SNAP in Cook County, making up almost half of all people using the program in the state.

About one in six Illinoisans rely on SNAP to meet their basic needs and that number does not even reflect the people eligible for the program who don’t receive it, those who just barely don’t qualify, or those who are ineligible due to their immigration status. SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federally-funded, state-run program that provides a monthly food allowance based on households’ size and income. In March, SNAP recipients will see the amount on their Link cards drastically reduced, meaning less food-and less fresh food-on their table.

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