The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food assistance to low-income families in the US. Eligibility is determined by federal standards, including household asset and income limits, work requirements, and legal residency status. Applicants must submit an asset accounting and meet income requirements based on federal poverty guidelines. Eligible adults without dependents must participate in a job training program to maintain benefits beyond three months. US citizens and some non-citizens are eligible for benefits.
Since October 2008, the US Food Stamp Program has been known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Food stamps, or SNAP benefits as they are sometimes called, help low-income families put healthy, nutritious food on the table. Although local state agencies manage and process individual applications and oversee the distribution of food stamp benefits, eligibility standards are set at the federal level. Food stamp qualifications include a household asset limit, two household income standards, work requirements for certain non-disabled applicants, and legal US residency status.
To participate in SNAP, applicants must submit a household asset accounting. Countable resources of assets include cash, bank accounts, stocks, and bonds. Food stamp asset qualifications are subject to certain exemptions, including home and lot values and, in some cases, household vehicle values. For SNAP eligibility, total countable assets cannot exceed $2,000 United States Dollars (USD) in total, or $3,000 USD if a household member is age 60 or older.
Food stamp income requirements include two related measures for most households. First, a household’s gross monthly income must be at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Second, a household’s net monthly income must be at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. There are several allowable income deductions, including two standard deductions applicable to most households and other deductions for certain medical expenses and child support payments. The federal poverty guidelines work on a sliding scale based on the size of the household in question.
In most cases, eligible adults without dependents between the ages of 18 and 50 must be employed or participate in a formal job training program to maintain food stamp benefits beyond three months in a 36-month period. months. Before food stamp benefits are distributed, potential recipients must meet locally instituted training and work registration requirements. For example, in Massachusetts, non-exempt SNAP applicants must enroll in a SNAP Food Stamp Work Program to receive benefits. Certain people are exempt from the work requirement, including seniors and those with children under the age of 6.
The last major qualification for food stamps concerns an applicant’s residential status in the United States. Any United States citizen who meets the above requirements and has a Social Security number is eligible for food stamp benefits. A limited number of non-citizens are also eligible to receive benefits, including those born in US territories, such as American Samoa, certain members of American Indian tribes, and members of certain Hmong and Highland Laotian tribes who are legally living in the US Granted asylum or refugee status in the US may be eligible for SNAP benefits. Other qualified aliens may also be eligible.
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