Join Feeding Our Neighbors at the State House on 12/13

FoodSNAP
12/08/23
Happy Friday to all. We are following up to our eblast yesterday with information about next steps and an event at the State House on Wednesday, December 13. What to know:
 

Gather and share thanks at the State House on Wednesday, 12/13 @ 10

Elevate ask to continue the restoration of basic benefits in the FY25 Budget

  • As we are approaching the FY25 Budget season, we are asking SNAP coalition members to include the Feeding Our Neighbors legislation in budget ask letters to the Healey Administration. Here is some messaging you can use:

    • The Massachusetts State Legislative took a critical step in the FY23 supplemental budget to restore state-funded SNAP benefits for legally present immigrants. 

    • We urge the Healey Administration to continue the restoration of these crucial benefits in the FY25 Budget by allocating $40 million for the following state funded benefits: 

      • SNAP food assistance for low-income immigrants including seniors, persons with disabilities, families with children, unemployed and underemployed adults. 

      • TAFDC cash assistance for extremely low and/or no income pregnant persons and families with minor children.

 
If you have any questions, please reach out to Pat Baker (pbaker@mlri.org) and/or Hiba Senhaj (hiba@field-first.com).

Encourage families to apply for SNAP & flag issues/questions for MLRI

  • Everyone has a right to apply for SNAP, regardless of their status. Applying for or getting SNAP is safe for all!
  • As we discussed at Coalition, DTA is in the process of setting up policy and systems changes to implement the state-funded SNAP for certain groups of eligible immigrants (see list below). We urge families who may be newly eligible to apply for SNAP as soon as possible. They will likely be denied benefits and sent a notice of denial, but if DTA knows what their status is, they should be issued back (retroactive) SNAP benefits to their date of application once DTA has the program stood up. Please let us know if you have any questions about this or what to advise clients. More to come!

 

On Thu, Dec 7, 2023 at 11:09 AM Pat Baker <pbaker@mlri.org> wrote:

TO:  SNAP Coalition

FR:  Pat Baker 

 

As many of you heard at Tuesday's SNAP Coalition meeting, we have GOOD NEWS from the Feeding our Neighbors Coalition. On Monday, December 4th, the Massachusetts Legislature passed and the Governor signed a "Supplemental Budget" that includes $6M in funding for special state-funded SNAP benefits for immigrant households. YES!!

 

These state SNAP benefits - which will be available toward the end of January - are for low-income legally present immigrants not eligible for federal SNAP due to their immigrant status, such as:

  • Humanitarian Parole (some of whom, if age 18+, may be subject to a 5 year waiting period)

  • pending application for asylum, 

  • Temporary Protected Status, (TPS)

  • Special Immigrant Juvenile status, 

  • Victims of violence (U visa)

  • and a list of other status considered "permanently residing under color of law" (PRUCOL). 

The Supp Budget includes only $6M, and is intended to cover the cost of state-funded SNAP for 7 months (December 2023 thru June of 2024). And it does not include Legal Permanent Residents age 18+ who may be subject to the 5 year waiting period, but there are exceptions to that federal rule. 


We recognize that the $6M may not be enough for 7 months of benefits for all who qualify. However, this is still a HUGE victory for immigrant families in Massachusetts. The Feeding Our Neighbors Campaign has been working hard during 2023 to secure both state funded SNAP and cash benefits for immigrants (the Supp Budget did not include cash), and we will continue to do so. 

 

Thanks to ALL of you who have contributed stories and advocacy to this campaign.  With La Colaborativa, who worked with MLRI to spearhead this campaign, we are planning a special "THANK YOU" day at the State House, on December 13th (see above!)

 

Giving Thanks! We urge Coalition members to call or send notes of thanks (handwritten is really nice) to our Feeding Our Neighbors champions Senator Sal DiDomenico and House Chair Antonio Cabral, as well as to Senate President Karen Spilka, House Speaker Ron Mariano, Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodriques, House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, Leader Michael Moran, Leader Alice Peisch, Representative Jessica Giannino. Additionally, we urge you to extend deep thanks to Governor Maura Healey, Lt Governor Kim Driscoll, EOHHS Secretary Kate Walsh and to DTA Commissioner Jeff McCue. 

 

What next?  As Commissioner McCue noted at the Coalition meeting, DTA is in the throes of working on implementation details so that families currently receiving SNAP for some, but not all, family members will see an increase in their SNAP and DTA will also be accepting SNAP applications from immigrants not currently connected to SNAP but who meet the criteria. 

 

Commissioner McCue advised the Coalition that the benefits will hopefully be available by the end of January, but retroactive to the date the Governor signed the budget - December 4th (or, for individuals not currently part of a SNAP household, the date after December 4 that an application was filed). More details will emerge as DTA works out the systems, policy and training issues - but rest assured, DTA is actively working on this. NOTE: Immigrant households are welcome to apply for SNAP benefits now. They will likely get denied until the state program goes “live” in January, but the case will likely be reopened and benefits will be retroactive to Dec 4th or the date of application, 

 

Advocacy in January 2024:  Again, the $6M is only for state-funded SNAP for the current fiscal year, and may not be enough for the full year, nor does it cover all immigrant families. The Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition will be advocating for additional funding if there are any shortfalls, as well as advocating for continued funding - for both cash and SNAP benefits for immigrant families - in the FY25 Budget (next year's budget).  IF you are not part of the Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition, please join today:  https://www.feedingourneighborsma.org/join

 
 

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