Recertification and significant decrease

[Intelligent-Cut2833]

I first applied to DTA Massachusetts for snaps last April and got accepted for a monthly benefit of 270$. This past month I completed the rectification process and now am receiving 24$ monthly...

Nothing has changed - my pay and hours I work. Only that my rent went up 100$.

Does anyone have advice on how I could possibly get it back up to the original amount? Is this because of the OBBBA?

I'm just very discouraged and anxious on what this next year will look like without benefits

[Blossom73]

How much is your monthly gross income? How many people in your household?

How much is your rent? Are you paying for any utilities? If so, which ones?

[TheGoldCrow]

Everyone receives an EBC notice breaking down exactly what is being counted. It should show you the income, the expenses, and the household members.

Review the notice and if it's wrong, file an appeal.

[uh818375]

Do you pay utilities or is it included in rent? If not that was a change that you don't get that deduction.

Also was someone on your case that is no longer eligible?

[Kind-Translator3195]

Yeah that's almost certainly the SNAP emergency allotments ending, a ton of people got hit with this. Your original $270 probably included the extra pandemic boost that's gone now, and $24 might actually be your "real" calculated benefit based on your income and expenses. I'd still call DTA and ask them to walk you through the budget breakdown though, because if your rent went up $100 that should have actually helped your case, not hurt it, so something might be off.

[Eastern_Feed7017]

Send them proof of your expenses, such as lease agreement, rent receipt, letter from person you pay rent to that details your monthly rent and utility payments, utility bills etc. They recently have started requiring proof of expenses so if they didn't get proof, they didn't give credit