North Carolinians to get more food stamps for March and April

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The state of North Carolina announced Monday that it would increase benefits for Food and Nutrition Services recipients for March and April.

All families will get the maximum allowed for their family size. For a family of four, that’s $646 a month.

Some 360,000 households will get the temporary increase, and the money will go out in a random, staggered order, hitting Electronic Benefit Transfer cards every other workday starting April 1, the Department of Health and Human Services said.

People need to be able to feed their families while also practicing good social distancing and following the governor’s stay at home order. This will help families make fewer trips to the grocery store and help protect themselves and those in their communities from getting sick, said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D.

All families that receive FNS will receive the maximum amount allowed for March 2020 and April 2020 for their household size, officials say.

The increase is subject to the following guidelines:

• Households that have already received the maximum amount for their household size will not receive the temporary increase,
• The household size will not include ineligible or disqualified members,
• Households that were ineligible in either March or April will not receive a temporary increase for the month(s) they were ineligible.

Recipients will still get regular benefits and should get two separate payments for March and two for April. 

To check eligibility call 1-888-622-7328, visit ebtedge.com or download the ebtEDGE mobile app.

Certification periods have also been extended to keep people from visiting local social services offices. At least some work requirements are also temporarily suspended, and beneficiaries will be notified of this change, DHHS said. For questions, call 1-866-719-0141.