In April 2020, all Texas SNAP households, eligible for any amount of SNAP, began receiving the maximum SNAP allotment for their household size, regardless of income or deductions. They have all received 2 SNAP deposits per month on their Lone Star card – their regular SNAP allotment and their extra COVID SNAP benefits. February 2023 is the last month that SNAP recipients will receive the higher SNAP benefits they have received since April 2020.
All SNAP households will receive a notice that their COVID SNAP benefits will end as of February, but they will continue to get the amount of regular SNAP benefits to which they are entitled. If they receive notices by mail, this notice will be in a yellow envelope with red writing from Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC) regarding SNAP.
The notices regarding the end of COVID SNAP will arrive in January and February. There is no appeal of the COVID SNAP Termination, because it is the result of federal law (PL 117-328). Clients may call 2-1-1 to determine how much of their regular SNAP allotment will be from March 2023 and onward.
Because COVID SNAP paid the maximum monthly SNAP allotment based on household size, and because recertifications have been extended for nearly 3 years, recipients may not have advised HHSC about deductions (such as medical expenses and shelter costs), which could have increased their regular SNAP benefit amount.
If you need free legal advice regarding COVID SNAP, which does not involve a request for appeal, please contact our Public Benefits Unit office.
Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations by providing free legal education, advice, and representation. LSLA serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines, who live in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties in Southwest Arkansas. LSLA focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety, stability, health, and wellbeing; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, the aging, survivors of crime and disasters, the unemployed and underemployed, the unhoused, those with limited English language skills, and the LGBTQIA+ community. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.LoneStarLegal.org.
Media contact: media@lonestarlegal.org
