Food Stamp Cutbacks

Some Ohio families will see their monthly food stamp amount cut $25 on average come January 1, but the reduction won’t be as a severe as state officials and food bank operators first feared.

A week ago, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services was reportedly planning to cut monthly assistance by an average of $50.

The state said its appeal of how the federal government calculates the benefits led to the reversal. The end result is that some Ohio families will lose $23 a month in food stamp benefits instead of $50 a month. The average food-stamp recipient receives $138 per person, per month, according to state statistics.

The cut won’t apply to all 869,000 households receiving food stamps, only to some homeowners and renters who have a “standard utility allowance” deducted when determining whether they are eligible for food stamps. Those families will see a cut in benefits because of how the government calculates utility expenses. A mild winter last year and lower natural gas prices led to the decrease in aid.

With the 2013 reduction in benefits, county residents receiving food stamps will get a total of $1.2 million less next year, he added.