September 7-11th Updates: SNAP and Unemployment Benefits

September 11, 2020

I hope you and your family are healthy and well.

Below you will find important updates regarding unemployment insurance and SNAP benefits for Connecticut households, as well as information on a variety of other topics.

For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, including an FAQ and other guidance and resources, visit ct.gov/coronavirus.


Remembering September 11th
 
“Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor those we lost, a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11.” - President Barack Obama
 
Nineteen years ago feels like yesterday. Today we pause to remember the lives we tragically lost on September 11, 2001 in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. May we never forget the firefighters, police officers, EMT workers, and ordinary Americans who sacrificed everything to save lives. 
 

Additional SNAP Benefits Coming to Connecticut Households
 
While the primary focus of Connecticut families for the past several months has been on health and safety, food insecurity has also been a major concern that cannot be ignored. With many still unemployed due to the pandemic, Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have played a major role in keeping many Connecticut households from going hungry.
 
To that end, over $16.5 million in additional SNAP benefits will be provided to thousands of state SNAP recipients on Thursday, September 17.
 
More than 109,000 Connecticut households are not currently receiving the maximum allowable benefit for their household size. These emergency funds will allow eligible households to obtain the maximum allotment. See the chart below for the maximum benefit allotment for each household. (NOTE: For households that number nine or more, add $146 for each additional person.)
SNAP allotments

An average of $153 will be transferred to the EBT cards of eligible SNAP recipients on September 17. For further information regarding SNAP, please visit www.ct.gov/SNAP.


Lost Wages Assistance Program
 

Beginning next week, 250,000 unemployed workers in Connecticut will be eligible to receive another $300 a week as part of the federal disaster aid program.

Existing Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claimants have already self-certified and do not need to do anything to receive the additional benefit.

New unemployment claimants and existing state and extended benefits claimants who are required to self-certify will be notified by letter or email that they are eligible and may self-certify when the program is open.

To self-certify:

  • Log into your unemployment account - the account main page offers a new option in the menu “Certify for Lost Wages Assistance.”
  • Once you have clicked on the button, a new screen will ask you to certify your unemployment or underemployment is due to COVID-19.
  • You may then then confirm submission and complete the process.

Federal eligibility guidelines include:

  • Recipients of at least $100 per week, including the dependency allowance, of any of the following benefits for the week they are seeking unemployment benefits;
  • Claimants receiving unemployment compensation, including state and federal workers and former service members, as well as those receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Extended Benefits, or High Extended Benefits;
  • Claimants who are part of the Shared Work Program; and
  • Workers with a Trade Readjustment Allowance.

The CT Department of Labor will continue to release updates as they become available on the CTDOL Federal Supplements webpage and send them directly to anyone who signs up for “Info to your Inbox” on the agency’s homepage.


In Response to Obscene Meme on Social Media
 
It is irresponsible to ignore men who fight for unregulated access to guns while spewing sexism and racism. We know that a majority of gun violence is directed at women and those committing gun violence often have a history of violence against women. Not to mention, the recent incidents of vigilante gun violence perpetrated by White men against Black protestors.

I’m disgusted that a man would spend his time making or sharing a sexist image of me with a racist trope because he objects to my policy positions. I’m not surprised that I’m being targeted by men who feel threatened by me. But I will not stand by and accept deep seeded prejudice when black men and women are being killed by the police and are disproportionately the victims of gun violence.

As a politician, I expect opposition. I welcome a difference of opinion. But I refuse to tolerate sexism and racism. Our political discourse is increasingly being replaced by hate and violence and I don’t accept that. None of us should accept that and we should be doing everything we can to change it.
 
 

Vigil for Victims of Racial Injustice

West Hartford residents are invited to take part in a silent vigil from 11 a.m. to noon tomorrow (September 12) on South Main Street outside Town Hall. The vigil will honor and remember victims of racial injustice in the United States who have been killed or injured during incidents of police brutality.

Click HERE for more information on the event.