New Hampshire Expands Access to Safety Net Programs and Supports During the COVID-19 Crisis

3 Apr 2020

Programs such as Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provide means-tested benefits that help support the basic needs of individuals and families with low incomes. During these times of profound economic instability, assistance to families and individuals living at or near the poverty line, along with those who have experienced sudden large drops in income, is indispensable. Strengthening the safety net, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced temporary changes, beginning April 1, 2020, to certain administrative aspects of these programs at the State level. In addition to other emergency federal and state-level changes to unemployment benefits, the changes to these safety net programs expand access to targeted assistance for individuals and families during the COVID-19 crisis.