Check Benefits QuickLINK to See If You’re Eligible For an Additional $72 A Month in Food Assistance

According to the USDA, 37 percent of eligible Alaskans age 60 and older are eligible for an additional $72 a month for food, but haven’t applied for assistance. AARP Alaska is urging older Alaskans and those who care for them to take advantage of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), which can help put food on the table. In some states, the SNAP program provides support for what the USDA classifies as the “working poor”—people who are eligible for SNAP benefits and live in households in which someone earns income, but in Alaska, the income limits are the same whether a member of the household works or not.

In Alaska, only 62 percent of the “working poor” who are eligible take advantage of the program. For one person the monthly gross income limit is $1,409; for a two person household the gross income limit is $1,896. Guidelines for incomes of households of three or more individuals can be found under the Addendum 4 tag in the Alaska DHS food stamp manual.

"We are working to get the word out on this program,” said, Rosemary Hagevig, AARP Alaska state president. “Alaska ranks 33rd in participation, which tells me more Alaskans need to hear about the program.”

Participants get a special debit card to use at most grocery stores, certain senior centers, farmer’s markets and meal delivery services. The card is used just like a debit card and the cost of groceries is deducted from the account balance. New benefits are added automatically every month.

Though SNAP is the federal name for the program, Alaska’s program is referred to as the Alaska Food Stamp Program. Older Alaskans and those who care for them can find everything they need to get started in any state by visiting AARP’s Benefits QuickLINK web site at aarp.org/snap.