Governor Lamont Announces 15,000 Low-Income Households With Children Will Receive a Back-to-School, COVID-19 Relief Special Benefit on Sunday

Press Releases

08/19/2022

Governor Lamont Declares 15,000 Low-Earnings Households With Kids Will Obtain a Again-to-Faculty, COVID-19 Reduction Particular Profit on Sunday

Eligible Households Will Mechanically Obtain a Fee of $257.87 per Baby on August 21

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont at this time introduced that the Connecticut Division of Social Providers this weekend will ship a one-time, back-to-school, COVID-19 aid particular advantage of $257.87 per baby to greater than 15,000 low-income Connecticut households on behalf of 27,000 kids.

Often called the Pandemic Emergency Help Fund (PEAF), this particular profit comes from a $7 million federal grant the Connecticut Division of Social Providers obtained from the Administration for Kids and Households, a division of the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers, by the American Rescue Plan Act.

Eligible households embody these with kids who obtained advantages by the Short-term Household Help (TFA) program throughout Could 2022, or who obtained Supplemental Vitamin Help Program (SNAP; previously often called meals stamps) advantages and had no countable earnings throughout that very same month. These PEAF advantages can be routinely despatched to eligible households on Sunday, August 21, 2022. Nearly all of funds can be delivered to the recipients’ digital profit switch (EBT) playing cards. Those that at present obtain SNAP or TFA advantages within the type of direct deposit could have their PEAF advantages transferred to their financial institution accounts.

The Division of Social Providers this week mailed letters to recipients notifying them that they are going to be receiving this particular, one-time profit.

Governor Lamont defined that his administration is timing the discharge of those particular advantages to coincide with the back-to-school procuring season and the beginning of Connecticut’s Gross sales Tax Free Week, which runs from August 21 to August 27, 2022. Throughout this one-week gross sales tax vacation, retail purchases of most clothes and footwear objects priced below $100 are exempt from the Connecticut gross sales and use tax.

“Connecticut is probably the most family-friendly state within the nation, and this one-time, particular profit places a reimbursement into the pockets of households who’ve been struggling to make ends meet,” Governor Lamont mentioned. “Within the coming months, many of those households may also obtain funds from Connecticut’s not too long ago enhanced earned earnings tax credit score, which is without doubt one of the handiest packages for lifting working individuals out of poverty. These PEAF particular advantages are one other instance of how the American Rescue Plan Act is supporting our nation’s restoration from the COVID-19 pandemic, and I thank President Biden and Congress for his or her actions to get this funding to those that want it.”

“These funds, potential due to the American Rescue Plan, couldn’t come at a greater time for households,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senator Chris Murphy, Congressman John Larson, Congressman Joe Courtney, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and Congressman Jim Himes mentioned in a joint assertion. “Again-to-school procuring is all the time costly and with the elevated value of meals, gasoline and different primary requirements, Connecticut households are feeling the strain. We’re happy to see the funding we fought for in Congress delivered to the individuals who want it most.”

“We’re happy to supply our SNAP and TFA households this one-time money profit in time for back-to-school procuring and Connecticut’s gross sales tax-free procuring week,” Division of Social Providers Commissioner Deidre Gifford mentioned.

These PEAF particular advantages are separate from the 2022 Connecticut Baby Tax Rebate, which is run by the Connecticut Division of Income Providers and is offering taxpayers with a state tax rebate of as much as $250 per baby for a most of three kids. Eligible taxpayers who utilized for that rebate will start receiving these funds within the coming days. The appliance interval for that program closed on the finish of July.

Twitter: @GovNedLamont

Fb: Workplace of Governor Ned Lamont