Thank you to all who joined us at our Coalition meeting yesterday - over 120 folks attended! We have a number of action alerts and updates, below. Pat is on vacation through next week, so please contact Vicky with questions (vnegus@mlri.org).
Senator Markey SNAP “Office Hours” event @ 5 PM TODAY
This webinar with Senator Markey, including comments from the Senator and Congressman McGovern, is co-hosted by Mass Law Reform Institute, Project Bread, Food Bank of Western Mass, the Greater Boston Food Bank, Worcester County Food Bank, Mass Food System Collaborative, and Merrimack Valley Food Bank. Speakers will include experts and individuals who can talk about the impact of cuts to food security programs. Please join us! Register HERE.
Advocacy Urgently Needed to Replace Stolen SNAP- call Governor and Legislators today/this week!
Yesterday, Commissioner McCue testified at a joint Ways and Means hearing on the FY26 budget. He shared that Governor Healey will be proposing funds for chip EBT cards in an upcoming supplemental budget before the end of this fiscal year (which ends June 30). We are grateful to Governor Healey for proposing chip funds - but families need replacement now. It will take time (many months) for DTA to get all SNAP households chip cards, and extremely low-income families continue to be stolen from in the meantime.
Since federal replacement ended, over 7,800 families have had their SNAP stolen and not replaced. See SNAP theft data by city/town here. Please ask the Governor and your legislators to replace stolen SNAP, in addition to funding chip EBT cards.
Here is what to say:
- Victims of theft urgently need stolen SNAP replaced while DTA works on implementing chip EBT cards.
- When SNAP families are stolen from, they are pushed into debt, skip meals so their kids can eat, and face ongoing health and financial harm.
- Please provide funds in a FY25 supplemental budget to replace stolen SNAP until chip EBT cards are issued. Stolen SNAP is about $1 million/month, on average.
TAFDC and EAEDC 10% increase - April 1st! & Advocacy to prevent a rollback
On April 1, 2025, very low-income families with children will see a 10% increase in their TAFDC cash assistance grants. Grants will also go up 10% for very low-income older adults and people with disabilities getting EAEDC. For a family of 3 with no other income, TAFDC will increase from $783/mo to $861/mo. While we are making progress, the grant is still far below $2,220, the federal poverty level for three. It does not even meet Deep Poverty – half the poverty level – $1,110 for three.
And, while this increase is critical for families, the Governor rolled back this increase in her FY26 budget proposal (which would eliminate this 10% increase starting July 1). To keep fighting for further progress, we encourage you to join the Lift Our Kids Coalition! LiftOurKidsMA.org.
The SNAP 3-month time limit (“ABAWD Work Rules”) Re-Starts May 1
DTA re-starting 3-month time limit: Massachusetts is required to implement a federal 3-month SNAP time limit for certain SNAP recipients who DTA identifies as “Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents” (ABAWDs). The ABAWD Work Rules will re-start on May 1. Many people do not have to meet these punitive rules. However, some do - and they risk losing SNAP after 3 months unless they show DTA they are exempt or meet the rules. Here is some basic information from MLRI. We will be sharing more information, including an MLRI ABAWD Guide for community partners and Know Your Rights fliers, soon. Most urgently, register for MLRI’s training on April 10 at 2 PM here.
Report on Effects of Work Rules in Federal Programs: The Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality released a new brief showing that "work requirements" in federal benefit programs are a tool to cut program participation and fund tax breaks for the wealthy, not to promote work. These policies harm workers, families, and local economies by denying essential support, draining state resources, and creating program barriers for families with low incomes, caregivers, and people with disabilities. Read more here.
Basic Benefits Trainings in April
Elder Benefits Training - April 17, 2025: Due in part to the high cost of living, older adults in Massachusetts have the second lowest levels of economic security in the nation. This training provides an overview of the key public benefits programs to help older adults meet their basic needs, including SSI and Social Security Insurance benefits, home-based care services from the Office of Elder Affairs, and Medicare and MassHealth benefits. Register here.
State and Federal Veterans Benefits Training, April 30, 2025: The training covers state veterans’ benefits and federal benefits for healthcare, service-connected disability compensation, and non-service-connected pensions. The training will cover basic application process, eligibility rules for veterans and the disability requirements, along with the basics of filing an appeal and upgrading a less than honorable discharge. Register here.
