NEW CASTLE (Feb. 22, 2021) – The Delaware Division of Social Services will issue emergency benefits for February to eligible households as part of the state’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health crisis.

Benefits will be issued as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and two cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and General Assistance (GA). The SNAP emergency food benefit will be issued Wednesday, Feb. 24, and should be available on recipients’ Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards the next day Feb. 25. TANF and GA households should receive an emergency cash benefit check on or after Feb. 24.

This emergency assistance will increase a household’s monthly benefit for each program up to the maximum benefit amount for their household size (see tables below). Households that already receive the maximum benefit amount or that have a prorated benefit in the month of February are not eligible for the February emergency funds.

Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, which was signed into law in March 2020, the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has issued emergency benefits each month to any household not already receiving the maximum monthly benefit.

“The public-health emergency created by the coronavirus pandemic continues to challenge vulnerable Delawareans who struggle to support themselves and their families,” said DHSS Secretary Molly Magarik. “This added financial assistance helps to provide some measure of security for those in need during this crisis.”

Households have received or will receive their regular benefits for February on the usual issuance dates. Please note that regular SNAP benefit allotment amounts increased by 15 percent starting in January and the increase will continue monthly through June as a result of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This temporary increase in food benefits is another measure to ensure food security during the coronavirus pandemic. All SNAP households will receive the temporary increase for February in their normal February benefit issuance.

Here are the maximum monthly benefit amounts per household size:

Emergency SNAP benefits

An estimated 34,015 households will be eligible to receive the emergency SNAP allotment in February, totaling about $6.9 million in emergency food benefits for the month.

Emergency cash benefits

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

General Assistance (GA)

An estimated 160 households will be eligible to receive emergency cash assistance benefits in February, totaling about $20,750 in emergency benefits for the month.

For more information about DSS’s benefit programs in response to the pandemic, go to https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dss/covid19.html. To apply for benefits, go to Delaware ASSIST or call 1-866-843-7212. To limit the potential spread of COVID-19, clients are asked to contact the Division of Social Services by phone or online.

NEW CASTLE (Dec. 8, 2020) – The Delaware Division of Social Services will issue emergency benefits for December to eligible households as part of the state’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health crisis.

Benefits will be issued as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and two cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and General Assistance (GA). The SNAP emergency food benefit will be issued Wednesday, Dec. 9, and should be available on recipients’ Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards the next day. TANF and GA households should receive an emergency cash benefit check on or after Wednesday, Dec. 9.

The emergency assistance will increase a household’s monthly benefit for each program up to the maximum benefit amount for their household size (see tables below). Households that already receive the maximum benefit amount or that have a prorated benefit in the month of December are not eligible for the December emergency funds.

Households will receive their regular benefits for December on the usual issuance dates.

Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, which was signed into law in March, the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has issued emergency benefits each month to any household not already receiving the maximum monthly benefit.

“With the holidays approaching and cases of COVID-19 continuing to rise in Delaware, we know the needs are increasing for our residents from low-income households,” said Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Molly Magarik. “This additional assistance will help them provide for themselves and their families and hopefully lessen the burdens created by the ongoing public health emergency.”

Here are the maximum monthly benefit amounts per household size:

Emergency SNAP benefits

An estimated 35,464 households will be eligible to receive the emergency SNAP allotment in December, totaling about $7.1 million in emergency food benefits for the month.

Emergency cash benefits

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

General Assistance (GA)

An estimated 149 households will be eligible to receive emergency cash assistance benefits in November, totaling about $19,800 in emergency benefits for the month.

For more information about DSS’s benefit programs in response to the pandemic, go to https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dss/covid19.html. To apply for benefits, go to https://assist.dhss.delaware.gov/ or call 1-866-843-7212. To limit the spread of COVID-19, clients are asked to contact the Division of Social Services by phone or online.

NEW CASTLE (23 de noviembre de 2020) – La División de Servicios Sociales de Delaware emitirá beneficios de emergencia para noviembre a los hogares elegibles como parte de la continua respuesta del estado a la crisis de salud pública de COVID-19.

Los beneficios serán emitidos como parte del Programa de Ayuda Suplementaria de Nutrición (SNAP, por sus siglas en inglés) y dos programas de asistencia en efectivo – Asistencia Temporal para Familias Necesitadas (TANF, por sus siglas en inglés) y Asistencia General (GA, por sus siglas en inglés).

El beneficio de alimentos de emergencia de SNAP se emitirá el martes 24 de noviembre y debería estar disponible al día siguiente en las tarjetas de Transferencia Electrónica de Beneficios (EBT, por sus siglas en inglés) de los beneficiarios. Los hogares con la TANF y GA deberían recibir un cheque de beneficios en efectivo para la emergencia el martes 24 de noviembre o después.

La asistencia de emergencia incrementará el beneficio mensual de un hogar para cada programa hasta el monto máximo de beneficio para el número de personas en su hogar (vea las tablas a continuación). Los hogares que ya reciben el monto máximo de beneficios o que tienen un beneficio prorrateado en el mes de noviembre no son elegibles para los fondos de emergencia de noviembre. Las familias que recibieron en septiembre fondos de la EBT por la Pandemia pero que no tienen un caso abierto de beneficios de alimentos tampoco son elegibles para los beneficios de emergencia del SNAP. (Delaware emitió los beneficios de la P-EBT a los hogares con niños que perdieron temporalmente el acceso a las comidas escolares gratuitas o a precio reducido cuando las escuelas cerraron como resultado de la pandemia).

Los hogares ya recibieron sus beneficios regulares para noviembre en las fechas habituales de distribución.
Bajo la Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Ley de Respuesta al Coronavirus de las Familias Primero) de 2020, que se firmó como ley en marzo, el Departamento de Salud y Servicios Sociales de Delaware (DHSS) ha entregado beneficios de emergencia cada mes a cualquier hogar que no esté recibiendo ya el máximo beneficio mensualmente.

“La falta de alimentos y recursos financieros se siente con mayor intensidad en esta época del año, por lo que estamos especialmente agradecidos por esta asistencia continua para los residentes de Delaware que están luchando a medida que la pandemia continúa,” dijo la Secretaria del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Sociales, Molly Magarik. “Con el aumento de los casos de COVID-19 en Delaware, nuestros residentes de bajos ingresos necesitan todo el apoyo que puedan conseguir para mantenerse saludables y a salvo.”
Aquí están los montos máximos del beneficio mensual según el número de personas en el hogar:

Beneficios del SNAP por la emergencia

Se estima que 35,464 hogares serán elegibles para recibir en noviembre la asignación de SNAP de emergencia, para un total de unos 7.1 millones de dólares en beneficios de alimentos de emergencia para el mes.

Beneficios en efectivo para la emergencia

Ayuda Temporal para Familias Necesitadas (TANF)

Asistencia General (GA)

Se estima que 149 hogares serán elegibles para recibir en noviembre beneficios de asistencia de emergencia en efectivo, para un total de unos 19,800 dólares en beneficios de emergencia para el mes.

Para más información sobre los programas de beneficios del DSS como respuesta a la pandemia, vaya a https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dss/covid19.html. Para solicitar los beneficios vaya a https://assist.dhss.delaware.gov/ o llame al 1 (866) 843-7212. Para limitar la propagación del COVID-19, se pide a los clientes que se pongan en contacto con la División de Servicios Sociales por teléfono o en línea.

NEW CASTLE (Nov. 23, 2020) – The Delaware Division of Social Services will issue emergency benefits for November to eligible households as part of the state’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health crisis.
Benefits will be issued as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and two cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and General Assistance (GA).

The SNAP emergency food benefit will be issued Tuesday, Nov. 24, and should be available on recipients’ Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards the next day. TANF and GA households should receive an emergency cash benefit check on or after Tuesday, Nov. 24.

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The emergency assistance will increase a household’s monthly benefit for each program up to the maximum benefit amount for their household size (see tables below). Households that already receive the maximum benefit amount or that have a prorated benefit in the month of November are not eligible for the November emergency funds.

Families who received Pandemic-EBT funds in September, but who do not have an open food benefit case are also not eligible for emergency SNAP benefits. (Delaware issued P-EBT benefits to households with children who temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school meals when schools closed as a result of the pandemic.)
Households already received their regular benefits for November on the usual issuance dates.

Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, which was signed into law in March, the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has issued emergency benefits each month to any household not already receiving the maximum monthly benefit.

“Lack of food and financial resources is most keenly felt this time of year, so we are especially grateful for this ongoing assistance to Delawareans who are struggling as the pandemic continues,” said Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Molly Magarik. “With cases of COVID-19 rising in Delaware, our low-income residents need all the support they can get to stay healthy and safe.”

Here are the maximum monthly benefit amounts per household size:

Emergency SNAP benefits

An estimated 35,464 households will be eligible to receive the emergency SNAP allotment in November, totaling about $7.1 million in emergency food benefits for the month.

Emergency cash benefits

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

General Assistance (GA)

An estimated 149 households will be eligible to receive emergency cash assistance benefits in November, totaling about $19,800 in emergency benefits for the month.

For more information about DSS’s benefit programs in response to the pandemic, go to https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dss/covid19.html. To apply for benefits, go to https://assist.dhss.delaware.gov/ or call 1-866-843-7212. To limit the spread of COVID-19, clients are asked to contact the Division of Social Services by phone or online.

Eligible Households Will Be Reimbursed Through September for Cost of Meals That Would Have Been Available in Schools

NEW CASTLE (Sept. 30, 2020) – The Division of Social Services received federal approval Sept. 25 to extend benefits under the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program to cover the months of August and September. P-EBT was authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to provide assistance to families with children who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.

The P-EBT program provides a supplemental food-purchasing benefit to current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households and a new EBT benefit to eligible non-SNAP households to offset the cost of meals that would have otherwise been available at school.

P-EBT benefits will be issued to all eligible households on Sept. 30.

The approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture extends the benefits initially approved and issued starting in spring 2020 in response to Delaware’s state of emergency ordered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the current state of emergency declaration, Delaware’s schools are open, but most are operating under remote learning for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year.

The recent approval allows Delaware to extend the benefits through September to households with school-aged children who are participating in remote learning for five consecutive days and do not have access to free meals at their schools.

Households with children participating in remote learning must also meet one of the following conditions to receive P-EBT:

• The household includes children who are certified to receive free or reduced-price school meals for the 2020-2021 school year, or;
• The household includes children who attend schools that offer free school meals to all students (Community Eligibility or Provision 2 schools) for the 2020-2021 school year.

For the 2020-2021 school year, approximately 81,000 children attending Delaware schools are eligible to receive P-EBT benefits. The P-EBT benefits will be issued as a supplement to SNAP households on their existing EBT cards and to non-SNAP households on their existing P-EBT cards from the 2019-2020 school year. Non-SNAP households who became eligible for P-EBT for the 2020-2021 school year will automatically receive a new P-EBT card in the mail for all eligible children in their household along with details on how to use the card.

Delaware will follow the P-EBT benefit guidance provided by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. The P-EBT benefit amount equals the federal reimbursement rate for breakfast and lunch of $5.86 per child per eligible school day. P-EBT benefit amounts will vary based on school start dates and remote learning schedules. P-EBT benefits can only be issued to children who attend schools that are participating in the P-EBT program.

P-EBT Issuance Details

Each eligible child in a household will receive $5.86 in P-EBT benefits for each eligible school day in August and September that their child’s school was operating under remote learning.
P-EBT benefits will be issued to all eligible households on Sept. 30, 2020. Households with an EBT or P-EBT card will automatically receive their benefits on their card for all of the eligible children in their household. It may take up to two weeks for newly eligible households to receive their P-EBT cards in the mail.

“The P-EBT program helps to keep Delaware families healthy and their children fed during this national emergency,” said Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Molly Magarik. “This additional support is critically important as families continue to cope with the health and education challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Eligible households will receive written notification in the mail regarding P-EBT benefits for August and September.

Please contact the Division of Social Services at 1-866-843-7212 if you have questions about Delaware’s P-EBT Program.