According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Connecticut is one of 16 “heat and eat” states providing nominal ($1) Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) benefits to certain households for them to qualify for more Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) benefits. Specifically, the nominal benefit qualifies these households for the maximum Heating/Cooling Standard Utility Allowance (SUA), which, in turn, qualifies them for more SNAP money, as the graphic below shows.
LIHEAP's Impact on SNAP Benefit Calculation
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CRS, May 13, 2013.
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The recently enacted federal Farm Bill increases, from $1 to $20.01, the minimum LIHEAP amount a state can give a SNAP household to qualify for the maximum SUA. The governor intends to provide this higher amount to nearly 50,000 Connecticut households that would otherwise have suffered a reduction in SNAP benefits. According to the Governor, the money to pay for the higher benefit will come from the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program.
