The labor market continued to slump into early June, with the number of initial applications for jobless benefits increasing to its highest level in more than eight years.
After Ms. Cothias punched in the mother's new rent expenses, her food stamp benefit increased to $101 a month, from $14. "It's not a lot, but it helps," Ms. Cothias said.
But if Betty waited until age 66 to retire, not only would her Social Security benefits increase — to $16,000 a year — but so would her savings.
In November, Congress allowed an earlier benefits increase to expire, reducing benefit levels for all 47 million of the program's enrollees and trimming SNAP spending by even more this year than Republicans had wanted.
Moreover, the age to obtain full Social Security benefits has increased to at least 66 for people born after 1942, from its traditional 65.
Initial claims for state jobless benefits increased 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 371,000.
Claims for unemployment benefits increased 9,000, to 429,000, in the week ended June 18, Labor Department figures showed on Thursday.
The number of people on emergency benefits increased 152,112 to 4.04 million in the week that ended Oct. 2.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 28,000 to a seasonally adjusted 385,000, the highest level since November, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
