Should I Apply For Delaware Food Stamps
If youve hit tough times and are struggling to afford food for yourself or your family, you should consider applying for food stamps.
The food stamps program is a federal entitlement program. This means anyone who is eligible will receive benefits. You will not be taking away benefits from someone else if you apply.
In addition, the food stamps program is a nutrition program and not a welfare cash assistance program . You do not have to be receiving TANF to get food stamps.
About Snap Recertification In Delaware
Once you are approved, you will receive benefits for a set amount of time. Beyond this period, food stamp renewal is required if you want to keep getting benefits. Recertification is similar to the process of applying and completing an interview.
In order to renew food stamps online, by mail or in person, you will need to provide your most recent information. This allows the DSS to determine if you are still meeting SNAP requirements based on your current situation.
The Food Stamps Program
SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps.
If you dont earn enough money to cover food costs for you and your family, you might qualify for monthly SNAP benefits.
Should you be approved for benefits, your food stamps allocation can be used to buy produce, meat, dairy, bread, and other foods on the approved list.
How much you receive in SNAP benefits is based on your income and how many people are in your household.
The maximum monthly allotment for a family of four is $680.
Recommended Reading: Food Stamps Eligibility Wa
How To Submit A Delaware Food Stamp Application By Mail
If you prefer, you may apply for SNAP benefits using a paper form instead. The paper application can be downloaded and printed from the DSS website at any time. If you do not have access to a printer, you may obtain the form by contacting a DSS office instead.
The paper application contains the same types of information as the online version. Once it is complete, be sure to sign your form. Then, you can return it by mail to the DSS office that serves your community.
How To Use The Delaware Ebt Card
How long does it take to get the Delaware EBT card? is a question SNAP candidates often wonder once they have been admitted into the food stamps program. The department issues these cards to claimants once it formally recognizes and accepts that the applicants petitions are valid. The Delaware EBT card, which stands for Electronic Benefits Transfer, is the tool the DHSS uses to distribute monies to claimants each month.
Since all transfers are completed and managed online, claimants simply need to log into their digital accounts in order to check their EBT card balance and review their account statements. These devices operate like other debit cards. Therefore, claimants may make purchases with their SNAP funds at any location that has been approved to accept the cards.
Enrollees may ask, What can I buy with my EBT card? after they receive their Delaware Food First card in the mail. Claimants are permitted to use their SNAP funds to purchase the following types of foods:
- Fruits: Candidates may use SNAP to buy various canned, frozen and fresh fruits.
- Vegetables: Enrollees may use food stamps to buy vegetables in various edible forms.
- Meats and seafood: SNAP beneficiaries may use program funds to buy different types of seafood, beef, pork and poultry.
- Dairy: Food stamps awardees may use program benefits to buy milk, cheese and yogurt.
- Grains: From breads to cereals and rice, SNAP beneficiaries have a variety of starch foods they may purchase using their program monies.
Don’t Miss: Ga Online Food Stamp Application
Who Cannot Apply For Food Stamps
You are not eligible for Delaware Food Stamps if you fall under one or more of these:
- If you have been convicted of drug trafficking
- Are running away from a felony warrant
- Have intentionally violated a court-ordered program
- Are a student in an institution of higher education . Have committed food stamps fraud or have broken Food Assistance Program rules on purpose
- You are are a non-citizen without a qualified status
What Can Food Stamps Buy
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP benefits can be used to purchase approved food items. These include:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Other foods such as snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages and
- Seeds and plants, which produce food for the household to eat.
See a more comprehensive list of what you can buy with SNAP benefits here and a list of approved snacks and meal supplements here.
There are also food items that cannot be purchased with SNAP benefits, including alcoholic beverages and hot prepared food. See a comprehensive list of what you cannot buy with SNAP benefits here.
Also Check: Apply For Food Stamps Washington Online
Citizenship And Residency Requirements For Snap In Delaware
The most basic Delaware food stamps eligibility requirement is that you must be a resident of the state to apply. You cannot complete the application process for benefits in Delaware if you live in a different state.
However, if you meet the basic program requirements, you may be eligible for assistance in your home state. Each state administers its own food assistance program, but the rules and requirements are usually similar.
Next, you need to meet citizenship or legal presence requirements. Only U.S. citizens and certain non-citizens are eligible for assistance through this program. However, even if some members of your household do not qualify for food stamps based on this requirement, those that do can still receive assistance.
Note: Even if someone in your household does not fulfill the DE food stamp qualifications based on his or her citizenship, you still need to count his or her resources and income on the application. This is because your total household income is used to determine eligibility.
Learn About Delaware Food Stamps
The Delaware food stamps program, officially referred to as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , helps low-income American families and individuals on a monthly basis. Although overseen on the federal level by the U.S. Department of Agriculture , the SNAP program is administered on a state level through the Delaware Division of Social Services .
Beneficiaries of food stamps are able to use electronic balance transfer cards to help them cover the cost of food. Families may use their benefits to buy an array of items, including the staples of a balanced diet. Each month, the DSS allocates new funds to the EBT card for the family to use. Read on to learn more about the program and how to apply.
Also Check: Snap Renewal Ga
Find Out About Snap Benefits In Delaware
Once you are approved for the SNAP program, you will receive an EBT card that you may use at select locations in order to buy groceries for your family. Its important to know that some products are ineligible for purchase with SNAP benefits despite being available in a grocery store. For example, you may not purchase any non-food items with your benefits, such as:
- Pet food.
- Diapers.
- Household items.
You also may not purchase alcohol, live animals, medicine, vitamins or supplements with your benefits. Finally, you may not purchase prepared or hot food using SNAP food stamps. In order to establish whether or not a food item would be considered prepared, you may try to look for labels like grab-and-go or hot-and-ready. Any food that is designed for immediate consumption may not be purchased with SNAP food benefits. For more information on what you may purchase using SNAP benefits, .
Despite some restrictions, there are several options for you to purchase using your SNAP benefits to ensure that your family has a healthy and balanced diet. Staple foods, or foods that make up the majority of a healthy diet, are all available for purchase using your benefits. These include:
- Dairy products.
- Fruits and vegetables.
- Bread and cereals.
What Happens After You Apply For Snap
After you have submitted your application, you will need to complete an interview. The interview may be in person or by telephone.
If documents are missing from your application or the Department of Health and Social Services needs more information from you to finish processing your request, your application will be delayed.
If you are approved, you will then receive your EBT card in the mail within 30 days of your determination letter unless you are eligible for expedited services, which give you benefits within only 7 days. You may be eligible for expedited food assistance if:
- Your household has less than $150 in monthly income and $100 or less in cash.
- Your rent/mortgage and utilities are more than your households combined monthly income.
- A member of your house is a migrant or seasonal farmworker.
Once you receive your EBT card, you can use it to purchase items that are approved by SNAP at groceries and retail stores that accept EBT transactions. Learn about what you can purchase with SNAP here.
SNAP benefits are replenished each month that you are a member of the program. To check the balance of your EBT card, call the number on the back of your card or 1 526-9099
Also Check: Does Heb Accept Food Stamps
Who Is Eligible For Delaware Food Stamps
The food stamps program is SNAP focused on helping low-income individuals and families, predominantly serving households with children, elderly or disabled members.
Nearly half of all food stamps participants are children.
Eligibility for SNAP is limited to people with gross incomes up to 130% of the federal poverty line.
This means that a family of four can make no more than $2,790 a month to receive benefits.
Able-bodied adults without dependents can only receive three months of benefits during any three-year period if theyre not working a minimum of 20 hours per week or participating in a training program.
There are several requirements you have to meet to be approved for Delaware food stamps and EBT, however, the most important is the income limit.
As stated above, to be eligible for food stamps, your gross income cannot exceed 130% of the federal poverty line.
In addition, after deductions are taken out, your net income cannot exceed 100% of the poverty level.
Learn About Delaware Food Stamps Requirements
The primary requirement for SNAP eligibility is a households income level. The SNAP income guidelines are based on the federal poverty level according to the size of the household. In order to qualify, applicants must not exceed 130 percent of the FPL for their household size.
However, individuals who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families , General Assistance or Supplemental Security Income do not need to meet the above income requirements in order to qualify for the program. For more information about food stamp qualifications, .
In addition to the food stamp income guidelines, applicants should be aware of the requirements for citizenship and residency. An individual must be a U.S. citizen or maintain acceptable legal status in order to meet food stamp qualifications.
Thus, undocumented individuals who reside in the country illegally may not receive food stamps in DE. Non-citizens who maintain legal status must meet additional requirements in order to be eligible for assistance. A non-citizen applicant must meet one of the following criteria:
- Has lived in the United States for at least five years
- Is a refugee or has asylum
- Already receives assistance for a disability
- Is younger than 18 years of age
Individuals who do not meet this requirement may not receive food stamps for more than three months in a 36-month period. Certain persons such as the elderly or those with disabilities will not have to meet this requirement.
Recommended Reading: Compass.ga.gov Renew
How Do I Get A Delaware Ebt Card Replacement
To report your card lost, stolen, damaged, or not received in the mail call the Delaware EBT Customer Service number at 1-800-526-9099.
If your EBT card is stolen and benefits are used these benefits cannot be replaced.
You can also call the number above for the following:
- To report your card lost, stolen, damaged, or not received in the mail.
- To know the date your benefits will be available in your account each month.
- To know if your benefits have been deposited into your account and get your account balance.
- To hear your last 10 transactions.
- To file a claim if you question a transaction in your account.
- If you want to select or change your PIN.
- If your card does not work.
- To find the nearest location where you can use your card.
- If you have other questions about or problems with your card.
How To Apply For Food Stamps Online In Delaware
It is easy to submit a Delaware food stamp application online using the online application portal. This website is used to apply for many types of services, including food assistance, Medicaid and cash assistance, among others. If you qualify for more than one type of benefit, you may apply through the same portal.
To request food stamps online, you will need to set up your account if you have not already. Simply log into your existing account if you have one, or create an account if you are a new user.
You may save your progress and return to your application if you are unable to complete it all at once. Once you submit your online application, your form will be sent to the correct office for processing.
Don’t Miss: Amazon Prime Now Ebt
Diamond State Health Plan
The majority of people receiving Medicaid must choose a family doctor who, along with a managed care organization , will provide or arrange for all your preventive care and medical needs. The following individuals are not enrolled with a MCO:
- Individuals entitled to or eligible to enroll in Medicare
- Individuals residing in a nursing facility or intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded .
- Individuals covered under the Medicaid home and community based waiver programs.
- Non lawful and non qualified non citizens .
- Individuals who have military health insurance for active duty, retired military, and their dependents.
- Individuals eligible for the Medicaid Breast and Cervical Cancer program.
- Presumptively eligible pregnant women.
How Long To Get Approved For Delaware Food Stamps
Once you submit a complete application, your caseworker will schedule an interview with you to review your application information and ask any questions they may have about the information you submitted.
Generally, a decision will be made on your food stamps application within 30 days of the day you submitted a COMPLETE application.
Don’t Miss: How Do I Renew My Food Stamps
Already Have A De Ebt Card
DE EBT Cardholders , are invited to visit participating sites at the deeply discounted rate of $2 per person. Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic please check with each organization for their most current status before visiting. Art-Reach does not guarantee the availability of each sites operating hours at this time.
