AUGUSTA – The federal Department of Agriculture has agreed to a three-month stay of its plan to cut food stamp benefits.

Thousands of food stamp recipients in Maine had been told that, as of Oct. 1, their monthly benefits would be reduced.

But U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree announced late Thursday that the cutback would be put on hold, while the decision to decrease the food stamp benefit is reviewed.

According to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, 40,000 of the 121,000 households in Maine that receive food stamps stand to have an average benefit loss of $42 a month.

DHHS spokesman John Martin said the reduction has to do with the annual review of benefits for each state.

The review takes into account the cost of heating fuel. The “standard utility allowance” for fuel is calculated each year and used to determine benefit levels for households. People claim the cost of heat and utilities when they apply for food stamps, Martin said.

When fuel oil cost $4 a gallon in 2008, Martin said, the state petitioned the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and was granted a waiver that gave Mainers an increased claim for heating fuel — from $530 to $700 a month.

“What that meant for people receiving food stamps is, it gave them an increased benefit,” Martin said. “Every couple of years, that particular allowance has to be reviewed by the federal government. When the oil prices went down, that changed the allotment amount back to $530 a month.”

The current statewide average cash price for No. 2 heating oil is $2.59 per gallon.

Barbara VanBurgel, director of the DHHS Office of Integrated Access and Support, said all of the elements for the reduction came quickly. The USDA didn’t notify the DHHS until the end of August.