USDA is expanding access to innovative online food purchase program  U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced approval for Arizona and California’s request to provide online purchasing of food to SNAP Households in the States of Arizona and California.  This approval will allow the States to expedite the implementation of online purchasing with currently authorized SNAP online retailers with a target start date later this month. California’s SNAP participation is over 4 million individuals, more than 2.2 million households, and totals more than $6 billion annually in federal funding. Arizona’s SNAP participation is nearly 800,000 individuals, almost 380,000 households,…

Recent state and federal actions have expanded eligibility and benefit amounts for Arizona workers impacted by COVID-19. On March 20, Governor Ducey issued an Executive Order, later followed by the signing of legislation, ensuring those who are out of work or facing a loss of hours because of COVID-19 have access to unemployment benefits. The order: Waived the one-week waiting period after an employee loses a job before they apply for unemployment benefits; and Temporarily suspended work search requirements for those receiving unemployment benefits. The order also expanded who is eligible to receive unemployment benefits to include: Individuals whose employer has permanently or…