State Resources and Programs for Mainers

Many Maine programs and services are available to residents for access to health care, utility services and more. The following information can help guide you towards the services you, your family or neighbors might need:

• UPDATES ON SNAP:

In December 2022, Congress passed a law that separates the continuous coverage provision from the COVID-19 public health emergency by providing a fixed end date of March 31, 2023. This has two important impacts for Maine people who receive SNAP benefits and/or are enrolled in MaineCare:

• SNAP benefits will return to their pre-PHE base amounts starting in March 2023.
• The State of Maine will need to review eligibility of everyone enrolled in MaineCare and disenroll individuals no longer eligible. The federal government has dubbed this process the “unwinding.”

Other eligibility changes tied to the PHE will end on May 11, 2023, as directed by the federal government. DHHS is working to ensure Maine residents covered by MaineCare and SNAP are ready for these changes. 

The Emergency Maximum Allotments ended February 28, 2023.

Since April of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SNAP participants in Maine have received a temporary increase to their household benefit. These emergency benefits increased the monthly amount of SNAP benefits in many Maine households. This additional emergency SNAP benefit ended February 28, 2023.

SNAP recipients will see a decrease in benefits starting in March 2023. They will receive the budgeted amount showing in their last Notice of Decision. You can review your benefits at mymaineconnection.gov.

The Department understands this may cause a disruption to your food budgeting. Tips for shopping on a budget can be found at mainesnap-ed.org.  For a list of food pantries or other food resources, you can call 211 or visit 211maine.org for a list of programs in your area.

Late verifications may result in reduced benefits. While Emergency Maximum Allotments were in effect households received the maximum allotment for a full month even if they were only eligible for a partial month. Starting March 2023, if your case closes for failure to provide verifications and you are later found eligible for SNAP the month after closure, that month's benefit will be prorated to the date you provided the verifications.

• UPDATES ON BROADBAND ACCESS:
  

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) – this is the federal program funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 that provides a monthly subsidy of $30 (up to $75/month on tribal lands) toward the purchase of high-speed internet access service for eligible low-income households. We want to continue promoting this program to Mainers and would appreciate help spreading the word on social media and through letters to the editor. Anyone looking to help with this work should contact Alf for more details.

• Take the survey: The Maine Connectivity Authority is collecting information from Mainers, communities, businesses and organizations as part of their Broadband Action Plan. The goal is to identify areas of need regarding high-speed internet access. Your voice is important to this effort so please take a moment to complete this important survey today.