Better Family Life Covid-19 Response and RESOURCES
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Collective Work and Responsibility
Our Board Of Directors and Executive Team strive to build and maintain our community together. Our brothers' and sisters' problems are our problems and we must solve them together.
Resources
The IRS will soon be issuing Economic Impact Payments to every eligible American. We need your help to reach individuals who do not normally file because they do not have enough income that requires them to file. This includes the homeless, certain seniors and some limited English-proficient individuals who will need to provide information to the IRS to get their Economic Impact Payment.
Eligible Social Security recipients and railroad retirees who are otherwise not required to file a return will not be required to file a return or provide further information.
Both the Missouri Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor have online guides to answer many common questions for employees and employers with the developing COVID-19. See national guidelines on suggested working conditions at this time, filing unemployment claims, and support for affected workers.
United Way 2-1-1 has compiled a list of federal, state, and community agencies providing assistance in both Missouri and Illinois. Some agencies may be closed or not providing face-to-face services due to COVID-19. Be sure to call first.
The Missouri Department of Social Services has created a web page to answer common COVID-19 questions. These apply to many of our Family Support partners and those they serve:
Expanded SNAP Benefits Program
The Department of Social Services Family Support Division requested and has been approved to extend Food Stamp/SNAP certification periods by six months for those re-certifications coming due in March, April and May. This action prevents Food Stamp benefits from ending during the COVID-19 pandemic. DSS is also currently waiving all work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents through the end the federal emergency COVID-19 declaration.
As part of the Families First Act, Missouri will issue Pandemic Food Stamp/Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (P-SNAP) benefits. This means all households currently eligible for SNAP will receive the maximum amount for the household size. This P-SNAP benefit increase will automatically be added on the normal date the recipient receives their SNAP benefit for the month of April. This increase will affect 310,000 Missouri households (660,000 people). For example, for a household of three under P-SNAP, the maximum allotment is $509, and for a household of four, the amount is $646.
In addition to P-SNAP, families with children eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in all Missouri school districts that close at least five consecutive days will get a Pandemic EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) (P-EBT) card benefit for March, April and May. The amount is determined by the federal government and will be the value of the number of missed meals. This benefit will automatically be added to the Food Stamp/SNAP recipient’s EBT card. About 50 percent of Missouri public school students or 400,000 children will get this benefit.
Missourians can apply for services 24/7 online by visiting MyDSS.mo.gov.
This situation continues to evolve and the department will continue to evaluate ways to streamline access to essential services.
Child Abuse & Neglect HotlineIn a recent press conference, DSS shared the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline phone number 800-392-3738 because it has had a significant decrease in calls since schools have let out due to COVID-19. If you see or hear something, say something. Reports can be made anonymously.
Be on the lookout for potential scammers using the COVID-19 situation to steal personal information. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is issuing this warning after receiving reports of several possible SNAP fraud attempts. Scammers are requesting confidential information including social security number, bank information, or a SNAP participant's EBT card or pin number. In one potential scam, a fake website asked SNAP recipients to enter personal information to qualify for COVID-19 related monetary assistance.
If SNAP participants are unsure if a request for information is legitimate, the USDA urges them to contact their local SNAP office.
