Pennsylvania will be the first state to begin sending out the $1,400 stimulus checks to lower-income households that are part of the American Rescue Plan, which President Biden signed into law last month.
The program aims to help low-income families build savings accounts by providing a one-time cash payment of $1,400 per household. Families can use this money to pay off debt or make large purchases like homes or vehicles. The checks will be sent out in Pennsylvania first and then rolled out across all 50 states over four years. Pennsylvania officials said they will make $1,657 payments to 855,000 households that are eligible under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The state’s Department of Human Services said it will use information from SNAP “to determine eligibility and expedite payments.”
The stimulus checks are part of a one-time payment from the federal government that was allocated to each state based on its unemployment rate during 2009. The federal government is sending one-time checks worth $1,657 to Pennsylvania residents who haven’t yet received their first check.
Stimulus Checks Worth $1400 Available
The state’s Department of Human Services said it will use information from SNAP “to determine eligibility and expedite payments,” according to a press release. The checks will be sent out by Nov. 1 and are expected to arrive in mailboxes by Dec. 1, according to the Associated Press (AP).
In 2016, the USDA gave more than $2 billion in food assistance benefits through SNAP; however, there have been issues with states processing applications correctly leading up to this year’s enrollment period ending Sept 30th with many people waiting months after submitting their application before receiving any benefits at all.
