NC food stamp benefits increasing

15 percent boost will last for six months as part of federal COVID-19 stimulus bill.

Posted 7:35 p.m. Jan 5, 2021 — Updated 8:29 p.m. Jan 5, 2021

Travis Fain

, WRAL statehouse reporter

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina food stamp benefits will increase 15 percent for the next six months as part of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, state officials said Tuesday.

Food and Nutrition Services recipients will see the increase automatically, and they'll last until June 30, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

The increase was part of the Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020, which passed Congress last month. The bill included a number of measures meant to help people struggling financially through the pandemic, including a boost in unemployment payments and new funding for rent and utility assistance programs that ran dry last year.

The state Division of Employment Security is expected to announce details on the unemployment extension in the coming days. For many people, benefits ran out the day after Christmas, and this will restart them.

WRAL News is seeking more details as well on the rental assistance program, which saw demand far outstrip funding last fall.

More information about the increase in food stamp benefits is available online or through the state's ebtEDGE mobile app. Recipients can also find out how much their total benefit is by calling 1-888-622-7328 on the day they normally receive benefits.

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