LANSING MI (WKZO AM/FM) – State residents who receive food assistance will see an increase in benefits starting this month.
The state Department of Health and Human Services announced the change on Friday.
The increase, slated to be approximately seven percent, comes as a temporary 15% increase due to the pandemic expires in October.
As an example, a family of four receiving benefits will see an increase of $53 per month to $835.
The MDHHS administers the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The USDA Food Nutrition Service under the Biden administration reviewed monthly food assistance payments and determined that an annual increase greater than the cost-of-living was warranted because the amount of SNAP benefits has not kept up with increases in the cost of a healthy diet.