If you are a senior citizen or adult with disabilities and rely on SNAP to help with your grocery bill, you may want to check your account. Nearly 30,000 older adults and adults with disabilities in New Mexico will receive an extra $68 on their EBT cards this month to help cover grocery costs.
The one-time food benefit will be automatically added for 29,444 individuals enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with no action needed from recipients. The funds were distributed on EBT cards starting June 3.
The initiative, funded by the legislature and signed into law earlier this year by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, is a collaboration between the New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA) and the Aging and Long-Term Services Department (ALTSD), aimed at reducing hunger and improving access to nutritious food among vulnerable populations.
“Using state general funds to create extra benefits for seniors and people with disabilities is a great example of how strong interdepartmental partnerships can better serve New Mexicans in need,” said HCA Deputy Cabinet Secretary Kyra Ochoa.
“We are proud to once again partner with HCA to bring additional relief to New Mexico’s older adults and adults with disabilities,” said ALTSD Cabinet Secretary Emily Kaltenbach.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, almost 1/3 of New Mexico’s 450,000 SNAP recipients are in households with seniors or adults with disabilities. The average monthly SNAP assistance in these households was just $168 per month in 2024.
For more information, residents can contact the Health Care Authority at 1-800-283-4465.