Just a quick heads up on the new income guidelines that DSS has just update. The gross income limit for SNAP has gone from 130% Federal poverty level to 185%, so many more people now qualify. Here you have the new monthly income limits:Persons in family Income limits year/week/month1 $20,036 $385 $16572 $26,955 $518 $22293 $33,874 $651 $28014 $40,793 $784 $33735 $47,712 $918 $39456 $54,631 $1051 $45187 $61,550 $1184 $50908 $68,469 $1317 $5662There are other news, as well:- No more asset tests: no limit in the amount of savings a person can have anymore.- Standard utility deduction is automatically included for everyone ($720).A word document with the updates here: 185 percent SNAP guideline English.docFor an in depth look at the changes, please join us in our next webminar on June 30th. Check the invite, and sign up here.
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I am writing to inform you that the Department of Social Services is proposing to make two changes to Connecticut’s TANF State Plan.The first is to add a new component to our TANF Outreach program known as the “Help for People in Need” program. A change recommended by the Governor in her proposed budget, this is a new informational brochure that will be sent to all existing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP - formerly Food Stamps) recipients and new SNAP participants. By providing this TANF service to all SNAP recipients they will qualify as “categorically eligible” for the SNAP program. This will allow us to increase the gross income limit in the SNAP program from 130% to 185% of the federal poverty level effective July 1, 2009. In addition it will eliminate the asset test in the SNAP program. This will permit many working families and individuals to continue receiving benefits and will also allow many low-income elderly individuals with assets above the regular $3,000 SNAP asset limit, to qualify for SNAP program benefits.The second change is a revision to the description of those non-citizens whose medical assistance is funded by TANF. The recently enacted federal Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) included a provision, effective April 1, 2009, to allow certain legal non-citizens to qualify for Medicaid (HUSKY A) coverage without having to wait until they have been US residents for five years. This includes children under the age of 21, pregnant women and post-partum women. Since these individuals, formerly covered with TANF MOE funds, will now be covered by Medicaid we have revised our description of the TANF program for non-citizen families to omit reference to these individuals. The TANF program will now only cover the parents and other caretaker relatives of HUSKY children.Cut and paste the link below into your browser to review the text of the state plan change.http://www.ct.gov/dss/cwp/view.asp?Q=440988&A=2345
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I was making a map of all New Haven Food pantries listed at the 211 database for doing outreach using Google Maps (this way I don´t get lost as often). It might be useful for other people, as well, so here I share it.
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