By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com


Livingston County residents who are eligible for food assistance benefits will be getting additional help this month.

An extra January payment will be made on Bridge Cards from January 15th through the 24th, as announced Tuesday, by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. All households eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits, will receive an increase of at least $95 monthly, even if they are already at or near the maximum payment amount.

Maximum allowable benefits are based on household size, beginning at $250 for one person, and increasing through up to 8 people and $1,504. Recipients do not need to re-apply to receive the extra payment. Roughly 1.28-million Michiganders in 700,000 households will benefit.

This assistance comes additional funding provided to states for food assistance under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Some began receiving additional benefits in April of 2020, a month after the pandemic began, with all eligible households getting the extra monthly benefits in May 2021.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, in a release, that “as we face the omicron variant of COVID-19, we must continue delivering support to Michigan families for their basic needs.” She pledged to keep her administration working with federal partners to do whatever they can to ensure Michigan families can put food on the table.