Food stamp recipients to continue to receive added benefits in November

Virginians who are eligible for food stamps will continue to receive higher allotments through November, according to an announcement from the Virginia Department of Social Services.

The emergency allotments, which provide more money on Electronic Benefits Transfer cards, began during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the federal government has continued to approve them for states on a month-by-month basis. The emergency allotments will automatically be added to a person’s EBT cards Wednesday, Nov. 16 and no action is required by the recipient.

Part of the costs, about $85 million, will come from the federal government and the remainder will be paid by the state. In the month of October, there were more than 455,000 collecting food stamp benefits, which accounted for nearly 896,000 people, according to the most recent data released from VDSS.

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