Good news for SNAP beneficiaries in Texas as Governor Greg Abbott and the state's Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) announced Friday that SNAP food benefits will be extended this September.

The state government has allotted over $344.9 million in emergency benefits for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is expected to help around 1.6 million Texas households.

USDA Approves Extension of Maximum Allowable SNAP Benefits to Texas Recipients

According to the official website for the Texas state governor, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has given federal approval for the HHSC to extend the maximum, allowable amount of SNAP benefits to recipients. How much each recipient will get will be based on family size.

The governor's office also announced that all SNAP households will receive a minimum of $95 in emergency allotments. These additional emergency allotments should appear in recipients' accounts by September 30.

The Republican governor said: "It is imperative that every family across our state has access to nutritious food." Abbott added that extending SNAP benefits for September ensures Texans will receive the "resources they need to stay healthy." 

The governor's office further noted that these emergency allotments for the month of September are in addition to the more than $7.9 billion in benefits previously provided to Texans since April 2020.

According to Go Banking Rates, Texas distributes these benefits once per month to Texas Lone Star Card holders. These cards are the state's EBT cards. 

They can be used at major grocery stores or retailers. Several other stores also accept them. Just make sure they have the Lone Star card sign. If it does not have this sign, asking an employee will help ensure that the store accepts SNAP benefits.

READ NEXT: SNAP Benefits Update: Are Your Children Eligible for $391 Food Payments?

Other States Also Announced SNAP Benefits Extension for September

In addition to Texas, other states have also announced SNAP benefits extensions. These states include Alabama, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Each state has its own guidelines in handing out SNAP benefits, which certainly helped out those who have been struggling over the past few months due to rising prices in groceries, especially food and other necessities.

Those people who have already received SNAP benefits in the past may be able to automatically qualify for the extra financial aid. 

According to Marca, these SNAP food stamps can be used to purchase mainly food, including fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, bread, cereals, snack foods, and non-alcoholic beverages. However, they cannot be used to purchase alcoholic beverages or tobacco products.

READ MORE: SNAP Benefits 2022: Will There Be EBT Payments for Texas, Florida Residents in September [Updates, Schedule] 

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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