FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2020
Indiana SNAP recipients will begin receiving maximum benefit amounts next week
INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration announced today that more than 152,000 Indiana households will receive additional Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits when April distributions begin this Sunday. The additional funds are intended to help Hoosiers obtain food and support for their families while Indiana responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act gives states the option to provide SNAP households with the maximum SNAP allotment, which is based on household size. SNAP households which are not currently receiving the maximum allotment will receive additional benefits which bring their allotment amount to the maximum. Households already receiving the maximum benefit will not receive additional benefits.
Maximum amounts per household size are as follows:
| Number in SNAP household | Maximum benefit |
| 1 | $194 |
| 2 | $355 |
| 3 | $509 |
| 4 | $646 |
| 5 | $768 |
| 6 | $921 |
| 7 | $1,018 |
| 8 | $1,164 |
| Each additional person | Add $146 |
Indiana SNAP recipients receive their benefits via electronic benefit transfer according to a schedule based on the first letter of their last name. Each month, distribution starts on the 5th and concludes on the 23rd.
All new applications authorized in April will also receive the maximum allotment for their household size. FSSA is working to inform various partners and stakeholders, including retailers, of the change to help them inform and explain to SNAP recipients the reason for the additional allotment.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides food assistance to low and no income people and families living in the United States. It is a federal aid program administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Distribution of benefits occurs at the state level. In February 2020, 559,600 Hoosiers from approximately 253,658 households across Indiana received SNAP benefits.
Resources for Hoosiers Affected by COVID-19
In these challenging and uncertain times, the state is providing a variety of key resources to support Hoosiers impacted by COVID-19.
Resources for unemployed workers
- To contact the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) regarding unemployment insurance, which must be completed electronically, click here or call 800-891-6499.
- Due to high call volume, some calls are getting a message that the phone number is not working. DWD is working to correct this and answer calls as quickly as possible.
- To watch a presentation by the DWD covering the basics of filing for unemployment insurance, click here.
Social services assistance
- To apply for Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) benefits, such as food and health coverage assistance, call 800-403-0864 or click here.
- To find information on a variety of community resources, including food, housing and health care assistance, call 2-1-1 or click here.
- To find food banks and meal service sites near you, visit FSSA’s Food Assistance Availability Map.
- To find critical-care work opportunities serving children, seniors and people with disabilities, click here.
Resources for Hoosier businesses
- To apply for low-interest disaster loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration, call 800-659-2955 or click here.
- The Indiana Small Business Development Center is also providing free loan application assistance and advising to impacted businesses. To learn more, click here.
- To find resources for business owners affected by COVID-19, call the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) at 800-463-8081 or click here.
- If your business can help Indiana fight COVID-19 by sharing or producing medical supplies, or in any other way, please email the IEDC at covidresponse@iedc.in.gov.
- For questions about how Gov. Holcomb’s March 23 stay-at-home executive order applies to your business, first read the FAQ document. Remaining questions can be answered by emailing covidresponse@iedc.in.gov or calling 877-820-0890.
- To contact the Indiana Department of Revenue while in-person services are closed, call 800-232-2240 or click here.
As the situation continues to unfold, the Senate Republicans’ COVID-19 resource page will be constantly updated with available resources and information.
From Good Samaritan Hospital:
- Samaritan Center’s Emotional Wellness Helpline for mental health support (not for physical symptoms). Speak to a therapist for support, referral, or resources – available Monday – Friday 8 am – 5 pm EST CALL: 812-886-6590. *If someone already has as a Case Manager or Therapist, please have them call our office instead at 812-886-6800*
- Samaritan Center’s Crisis Hotline – Available 24 hours/day CALL 812-886-6800 if you feel you are a danger to yourself or others immediately
- Knox County United Way COVID-19 Local Impact Fund information – three documents attached
- The Community Foundation Alliance’s Rapid Relief Grants information – attaching a document for overview, but please find more information here: https://www.communityfoundationalliance.org/rapid-response/
We have added a variety of Coronavirus Resources to our shared SOC Google Drive in the folder “COVID-19 Resources” – we will continue to update this folder – please visit here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-rkrAW7e9fx8LJnYSVrbdvF3Z2j-2cOP