Sign on comment letter Summer EBT, TAFDC clothing allowance, Know Your Rights gig workers
A number of updates and resources below! Reminder we do not have a SNAP Coalition meeting in August - our next meeting will be Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 10-11:30 AM.
Sign on to joint comments seeking improvements to Summer EBT - by Noon Tuesday, 8/27
We appreciate the work you all have been doing to make sure families issued Summer EBT know about and are able to use their benefits! While states administer Summer EBT (thank you, DTA!), it is a federal program, guided by federal laws. The federal agency in charge of Summer EBT, USDA, is accepting comments before it finalizes federal regulations for Summer EBT. This is a critical opportunity to make your voice heard and support Summer EBT improvements!
For example: MLRI has heard from many partner organizations about how frustrating the 4 month expungement deadline is. Congress set a 4 month expungement timeline, but USDA has to define how the 4 month clock works. We are urging USDA to redefine how that clock works, better supporting families trying to use their Summer EBT.
Here is a short sign-on letter seeking key improvements. Please sign your organization on by NOON on Tuesday, 8/27 by filling out this form. MLRI will submit the comment on behalf of the organizations that sign on. If you are interested in filing your own comments, comments are due by 11:59 PM on Tuesday!
TAFDC September clothing allowance - encourage low-income working families to apply!
Families on TAFDC cash benefits in September are automatically issued the annual clothing allowance. This year, the clothing allowance was increased by the legislature to $500 per child. Note that the income eligibility limits for TAFDC go up in September by the amount of the clothing allowance. For a family with 3 kids, this means the income limits for that family increase by $1,500 if they apply before the end of September.
We strongly encourage low-income working families to apply for TAFDC, even if they are normally not eligible. To learn more, see MLRI’s fliers and information on MassLegalHelp here. To get a sense of the income limits, see DTA's TAFDC information here (and add $500 per child for September!).
Updated MLRI SNAP Know Your Rights fliers for self-employed & gig workers
We have updated our fliers on SNAP for self employed/gig workers here (in English, Portuguese, and Spanish).
And here are all of our other Know Your Rights fliers: