Food Stamps For 100 Disabled Veterans

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Congress likes to get up and give patriotic speeches but at this moment tens of thousands of veterans may lose their food and there are a lot of members of Congress missing in action.

The three-month limit is especially difficult for veterans, who often face more hurdles in transitioning into civilian life than non-veterans looking for employment.

Veterans arent always aware of whats facing them when they come out, said Jeffrey Cathey, a retired Navy captain and head of Bank of Americas MilitaryAffairs team, which focuses on hiring veterans and supporting military personnel. The bank recently hired two veteran snipers and the transition to corporate life was more complicated than just finding them cubicles, Cathey said.

Its a whole new world for them, he said. Veterans themselves often dont realize they have skills that can be very valuable, he said. Its worth it to us to take the time to help them transition.

And a lot of the veterans, especially the younger ones returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, are in particular need for help, McGovern added.

But the food stamp program has been a favorite target for some lawmakers in recent years. They point to the growing cost of the program, which now serves about 47 million Americans, as an example of federal spending run amok. Federal spending on SNAP rose from $17 billion 2000 to $74 billion in 2014, according to USDA data.

It can be easy to overlook veterans, said Bank of Americas Cathey.

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Many People With Disabilities Live In Poverty And Endure Material Hardships

Using the official poverty measure, the poverty rate among non-elderly adults with disabilities is more than twice that among non-elderly people without disabilities . While many researchers and analysts have pointed to limitations in the official poverty measure and offered alternative measures, the pattern of higher poverty rates among those with disabilities holds regardless of the measure used.

Poverty measures based on income alone, however, substantially overstate the economic well-being of people with disabilities. Other measures of consumption and physical living conditions suggest that many more families cannot meet certain basic needs. At least 40 percent of people with disabilities experience a material hardship such as low-quality housing, difficulty paying bills, unmet need for health care, or inadequate food. People with disabilities may require two to more than three times as much income as an able-bodied person to have the same ability to meet their expenses, get needed medical care, and avoid food insecurity.

Families raising children with disabilities are especially susceptible to hardships. Families with disabled children are at least 50 percent more likely to postpone needed medical or dental care, miss rent payments or lose telephone service, run out of food, or seek emergency food assistance than families without disabled children .

Veterans Employment Preference

More information is available at the following website:

Business Certificate of Exemption

Households With Disabled Members Have Fewer Assets So Are Less Protected From Food Insecurity

Assets provide stability and offer a cushion in difficult times. Some research shows that households with disabilities with more assets are less likely to experience food insecurity, and that the connection between household assets and food insecurity for these households may be stronger than the connection between income and food insecurity. Liquid assets can help protect people with a disability by providing a means to pay for disability-related expenses. However, households affected by disabilities have fewer assets to rely on than other households.

Recently authorized Achieving a Better Life Experience accounts offer tax-advantaged savings accounts for individuals with disabilities and their families that will not affect their eligibility for SSI, Medicaid, and other public benefits, including SNAP. As discussed below, SNAP has a higher asset limit for families identified as having members with disabilities than for other families. Also, many states take advantage of a state option called broad-based categorical eligibility to raise or eliminate the asset test for some or all households that participate.

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Snap Employment And Training Program

The SNAP Employment and Training program is funded by a grant with US Department of Agriculture , Food and Nutrition Services . The SNAP E& T program only assists SNAP recipients and focuses on Able Bodied Adults without Dependents . SNAP E& T assists participants in discovering, reaching and maintaining their employment goals. Depending on the availability of funds SNAP E& T funds may be used to support a variety of education, training, and employment related supportive services for SNAP E& T participants. If you reside in Yellowstone, Missoula, or Lewis & Clark counties and are interested in participating in the SNAP E& T program, contact the Montana Public Assistance Helpline at 1-888-706-1535 or your local Office of Public Assistance for a referral.

Snap Remains A Safety Net For Veterans And Families In Need

Cross posted from the disability.gov blog:

Today, I was thinking about the last entry I wrote for Disability.govs blog just about a year ago and considering our accomplishments in 2012 and the opportunities that are ahead for 2013.

The need for food assistance remained high in 2012, with an average of 47 million people participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program every month. Program participation increased in response to natural disasters, such as Hurricane Isaac in Louisiana and Hurricane Sandy in the New England states. However, overall the program grew at a slower rate and even flattened toward the end of the year. SNAP continues to be the cornerstone of the national hunger safety net by helping those in need put healthy food on the table.

SNAP is there for those who need it, including our veterans and their families. And this is a place where we determined in 2012 to do better serving veterans, especially our wounded warriors, in their time of need. I recently read a post by Wayne Connell, founder and president of the Invisible Disabilities Association. Something he wrote stuck out to me. Connell says, What is a disability? In general, the term disability is often used to describe a physical or mental challenge. This could be a bump in life that can be managed, or a mountain that creates serious changes and loss. Either way, this term should not be used to describe a person as weaker or lesser than anyone else!

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Automatic Student Loan Forgiveness

I was shocked when I realized that my husbands rating also meant that his student loans would be completely forgiven. Over $50,000 in debt was wiped away in an instant! Of all of the extra benefits for 100% disabled veterans that Ive found, this one had the biggest impact on our financial future.

When my husbands rating came in, we had to fill out paperwork for this but its now a completely automatic process for veterans who have received 100% ratings.

Snap Resources And Income Limits

SNAP benefits require households to meet tests that measure resources and income. Some of these changed temporarily or were waived during the coronavirus pandemic, so check with your state to make sure what the current standards are. For the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia, the requirements are:

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Georgia Veteran Recreation Benefits

Hunting and Fishing Licenses for Permanently & Totally Disabled Veterans

Visit the following website for more information:

Veterans rated permanently and totally disabled by the VA or DOD are eligible for a discounted sportsmans license.

Discounted disability hunting and fishing licenses are available to residents of Georgia. This license type cannot be obtained or renewed onlineyou will need to complete the application form and mail it with supporting documents to the address on the form. If you require application review accommodations, please call 1-800-366-2661.

Link to Application form:

Individuals are strongly encouraged to consider purchasing three-year disability license types, rather than annual types. Renewal of the annual license requires submitting documents each year dated with the past year to show continued disability, versus once for the three-year license. Payment of transaction fees each year for the annual license types means that persons pay an extra $6 over a three-year periodthe three-year license will save $6 over the three year period and doesnt require yearly paperwork.

Reduced State Park Admission Fees for Disabled Veterans

Disabled veterans who are Georgia residents AND present a Certificate of Eligibility card are entitled to a 25% discount on:

• Annual Park Passes

State Of Montana Snap Program Overview

We are offering an online payment process as a convenience to our customers who wish to pay for their SNAP or TANF overpayment claim. By using the link below, you will be directed to another web page which will allow you to pay your repayment claim by either electronic check or by credit card . You may pay the full claim amount of a portion of the claim amount.

The provider of these services does charge a transaction fee to their services.

• Electronic Check–$1.19

If you choose to use this service the total transaction amount will be displayed once you enter the repayment amount and choose the appropriate payment method. Once a payment has been entered and submitted, processing may take up to two weeks for your payment to post to your account.

If you have any questions regarding the use of this payment system, you may contact the Business and Financial Services Collection Tech at 444-0020.

This service is for SNAP or TANF overpayment claims only-please do not submit any other DPHHS payments here.

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Special Home Adaptation Grant

You can receive up to $12,756 to pay for adaptive modification to your current home or to buy a new home. Eligible veterans can apply for both the SHA Grant and the SAH Grant. If you feel you meet the criteria for both housing grants, the next step is to complete Form 26-4555 and submit it to the closest regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Help For The Disabled

Help for the disabled Under the South Carolina Combined Application Project , if you are eligible for Supplemental Security Income , you are eligible to receive SNAP benefits without applying at the DSS office. You are eligible for SNAP benefits because you receive SSI.SCCAP is a program that DSS provides in conjunction with the Social Security Administration. You should be eligible for SCCAP if:

• You currently receive SSI
• You live alone, or if you live with other people, but are responsible for purchasing and preparing meals for yourself only and
• You have no earned income.

How do I apply?

• Complete a SCCAP application form. To access the form, .
• Mail it to SCCAP, South Carolina Department of Social Services, P.O. BOX 100203, Columbia, SC, 29202.
• If you are eligible, you will receive benefits from the date your application is filed. You will be notified in writing of the decision of your case.
• You will receive a set amount of SNAP benefits each month and may receive them as long as you continue to receive SSI and your household living arrangement remains the same.

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Appendix A: Defining Disability For Snap

SNAP considers a person as disabled if they receive one of the following forms of disability benefits:

• Supplement Security Income
• Social Security disability or blindness benefits
• Disability-related Medicaid
• Disability retirement benefits from a government agency because of a long-lasting disability under section 221 of the Social Security Act
• Interim assistance pending receipt of SSI
• Disability-related state-funded General Assistance, if eligibility is based on criteria as stringent as SSI
• A state SSI supplement
• Public disability retirement pensions
• Railroad Retirement disability payments
• Veterans disability benefits for service-connected disabilities or non-service-connected disabilities rated or paid as total
• Veterans disability benefits or disability benefits for the spouse of a veteran, if the Department of Veterans Affairs has determined that the veteran or spouse is permanently housebound or needs regular care
• Veterans benefits for surviving children of veterans whom the VA has determined can never support themselves
• Veterans pensions for surviving spouses and children of veterans, if the spouse or child has a disability that Social Security considers long-lasting

SNAPs definition of disability, for purposes of receiving special consideration within the program, does not cover all individuals who may have disabilities. It excludes:

Appendix B: Measuring Disability In National Surveys

Measures of disability tend to vary across surveys, due to differences in definitions and methods. Many ongoing national surveys, including the American Community Survey , Current Population Survey , Survey of Income and Program Participation , National Health Interview Survey , and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System , have adopted a set of six questions to identify functional and physical limitations associated with disability.

The analyses in this report uses data from two sources: the NHIS and SNAP household characteristics data from the Quality Control system, described below.

The annual NHIS collects data on the health of the civilian noninstitutionalized population in the United States. It collects data on a variety of health and disability indicators many more than the six reported in the CPS or the ACS. However, it still asks about the six core questions found in other datasets, allowing us to compare incidence of disability across datasets.

For instance, NHIS either directly or indirectly asks:

Some research suggests that these six questions do not adequately capture all those who receive SSI and SSDI disability benefits. It recommends augmenting this sequence with a question about work limitations, specifically whether anyone in the household has a health problem or disability that prevents them from working or limits the kind or amount of work they can do.

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Snap Special Rules For The Elderly Or Disabled

Most SNAP rules apply to all households, but there are a few special rules for households that contain an elderly or disabled member.

Who is Elderly?

A person is elderly if he or she is 60 years of age or older.

Who is Disabled?

Generally, a person is considered to be disabled for SNAP purposes if he or she:

• Receives Federal disability or blindness payments under the Social Security Act, including Supplemental Security Income or Social Security disability or blindness payments or
• Receives State disability or blindness payments based on SSI rules or
• Receives a disability retirement benefit from a governmental agency because of a disability considered permanent under the Social Security Act or
• Receives an annuity under the Railroad Retirement Act and is eligible for Medicare or is considered to be disabled based on the SSI rules or
• Is a veteran who is totally disabled, permanently housebound, or in need of regular aid and attendance or
• Is a surviving spouse or child of a veteran who is receiving VA benefits and is considered to be permanently disabled.

How do I Get SNAP benefits?

The local SNAP office should be listed in the government section of the local telephone book. This is generally the quickest way to find the local SNAP office. If that doesnât work, try calling the SNAP Hotline for your State. Most of them are toll free numbers.

What is a Household?

What Resources Can I Have ?

What Are the Income Limits?

What Deductions Are Allowed?

Appendix C: Major Safety

Millions of individuals with disabilities and their families benefit from a wide variety of public benefits for income, health care, and food and housing assistance. Some of these benefits target people with disabilities others are available more broadly to some or all low-income households but may be especially important to people with disabilities.

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How To Get Food Supplements

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides food supplement benefits to low-income families. SNAP food supplement benefits used to be known as food stamps. Generally, you must work 20 hours each week or attend a work program 20 hours each week to get SNAP benefits. If you are not working or attending a work program, you can only get SNAP benefits for three months in any three-year period. This is called the time limit.

Fortunately, the time limit is not currently being enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the time limit is expected to return once the federal government has announced the pandemic is over.

But take comfort if you are:

• a person under the age of 18, or
• a person older than 50 years old, or
• a parent of a minor child, or

If you qualify as any of the above, you are exempt from this work requirement and the time limit will not apply to you!

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Snap Serves Diverse Group Of Low

This section looks at the characteristics of SNAP participants identified as disabled using SNAP administrative data, which find that about 5.2 million non-elderly participants, or about 12 percent of all participants , had a disability in 2015.

These figures are less than half the number and share of individuals receiving SNAP with a disability in the NHIS data used earlier in this paper, who represent individuals of all ages identified as having an impairment or work limitation or, among the non-elderly, receiving SSI or SSDI. These figures also are significantly lower than the number and share of non-elderly individuals identified in the NHIS data as having a disability: the NHIS data show 8.1 million non-elderly SNAP participants with disabilities, constituting about 22 percent of non-elderly SNAP participants. See Table 1 for a comparison of these estimates by age.

There are two major reasons why these figures differ so substantially. First, the SNAP administrative data use a narrower definition of disability to simulate disability as defined under SNAP rules, largely based on receipt of SSI and other government benefits. In contrast, the NHIS data capture the broader group with an impairment, many of whom may not qualify for or receive government benefits such as SSI and therefore would not be considered disabled under SNAP rules.

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