Food Stamps Make Your Money Go Further
Food stamps aren’t stamps anymore. Now they look like a credit card. People use their food stamps cards at participating stores to buy food (or plants and seeds to grow food.) The cost of your groceries is subtracted from the card’s account every time it’s used. The government puts the amount of your benefit in the card’s account every month.
Are you eligible?
There are three main areas of eligibility guidelines. To get food stamps, you must meet the guidelines in all three:
- Citizenship status
- Resource limits [cash, bank accounts and certain property]
- Income limits
Citizenship: You must be a citizen – or a non-citizen who meets one of the many exceptions.
Resource limits: Resources include cash, money in the bank, and some things you own. But, not all resources are counted. For example, the program doesn’t count your home. The program also does not count $4,650 of the value of one car. The resource limit depends on age or if you are disabled.
- Age 60 or older or disabled: Limit of $3,000.
- Under 60: Limit of $2,000
Income limits: Income is the amount of money you receive each month from a pension, Social Security, and/or work. Until September 30, 2003:
- a single person is limited to $739 of counted income
- a couple is limited to $995 of counted income
But not all income is counted. There are many deductions.
| How much is deducted | |
| All people | $134 for each household’s application |
| Child or dependent care when needed for a job, training or school |
$200 for children under 2 $175 for those 2 or older |
| Medical expenses not paid by insurance | For those who are 60 or older or disabled, all medical expenses over $35 are deducted. |
| Child support payments | Will vary |
| Part of a person’s housing costs (including rent, mortgage, heating, energy, water, phones) | Part of the costs, limited to $367 unless one person in the home is at least 60 or disabled |
| Work income | Part of the work income |
How much will you get?
The amount you get in food stamps depends on your income, resources, and expenses. It also depends on how many people live in your house. In 2000, a single older person received, on average, $44 each month. The maximum amount is:
- $139 for one person
- $256 for a couple
- $366 for three people
While food stamps may not pay for all of your food, it helps stretch your money. It lets you use your cash to pay for things like prescription drugs and heating bills instead of food.
How do you apply?
Apply for food stamps at your local Department of Social or Human Services. The phone number is in the blue pages of your phone book. Or you can call 1-800-221-5689 for the telephone number of your state Food Stamp agency. Since your food stamps start the date you apply you should turn in your application right away, even if the application is not complete. You have a chance to finish the application later. Once it’s approved, you get benefits back to the date you applied.
AARP Resources
Ensuring Your Parents’ Financial Independence
An article from AARP The Magazine to help your parents make the
most of their money.
Additional Resources
Benefits QuickLINK
URL: www.aarp.org/quicklink
Answer a few confidential questions and this online tool tells you
which federal, state, and local programs you might be eligible
for and how to apply. This site is powered by Benefits CheckUp, a service of the National
Council on Aging.
Food and Nutrition Service
URL: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/applicant_recipients/default.htm
The site of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has a lot of
information about the food stamp program.
Social Security Administration (SSA)
URL: http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10100.html
The SSA offers a booklet about the food stamp program and other
nutritional programs.
