SNAP benefits extended to grocery delivery

Gov. Ralph Northam announced recently that for the first time, more than 740,000 Virginians who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will be able to pay for their groceries online and have them delivered, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved Virginia to participate in an innovative online purchasing pilot program.

“This continued public health emergency has made access to healthy, affordable food challenging, particularly for Virginians who live in food deserts, have disabilities or face transportation barriers,” Northam said in a press release. “Allowing Virginia families who receive SNAP benefits to purchase groceries online and have them safely delivered to their homes will give vulnerable populations additional flexibility to put food on the table without putting themselves at unnecessary risk.”

The program launched statewide on Friday, May 29 with online shopping access available through the Amazon and Walmart online platforms. Retailers interested in participating the program can find more information and apply by contacting USDA at https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailer-requirements-provide-online-purchasing.

Transactions will take place using SNAP customers’ secure personal identification numbers (PINs). SNAP benefits cannot be used to pay for fees of any type, such as delivery, service or convenience fees.

The pilot, which was mandated through the 2014 Farm Bill, was designed to test the feasibility of allowing USDA-approved retailers to accept online transactions.

Additional information about SNAP benefits in Virginia is available at https://www.dss.virginia.gov/benefit/snap.cgi.