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There are many programs to help people with their food needs, such as emergency food help, Expedited Food Support, Food Support (formerly called Food Stamps) and Minnesota Food Assistance.
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| You may also apply for Expedited Food Support which makes benefits available quickly to households unable to meet their food needs. If you are eligible, benefits will be issued within 24 hours of your interview. Contact your county for more information. |
| Expedited Food Support is available to the following types of households: |
| • Those with less than $150 in monthly gross income and $100 or less in liquid assets |
| • Destitute migrant or seasonal farmworker units who have $100 or less in liquid assets |
| • Households where the combined monthly gross income and liquid assets are less than actual monthly housing and utility costs (or the standard utility allowance if the household is entitled to it). |
| You may receive expedited service in Minnesota if you meet the above requirements, even if you received Food Support in another state during the month of application. |
| The new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 increases benefits for Food Support recipients to buy food. The increase goes into effect in April. Extra benefits will be added automatically to Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. |
| A fact sheet is available at the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Web site. |
| Many families are concerned about rising costs of food. This pamphlet from the USDA contains tips on how to stretch food dollars through budgeting, food selection and low-cost recipes. |
| The Food Support (Food Stamps) program is a county-run, federal program that helps Minnesotans with low incomes get the food that’s needed for sound nutrition and well-balanced meals. The program issues electronic food support benefits that can help stretch your household food budget. For more information about the Food Support program, click here. |
| The Minnesota Food Assistance Program (MFAP) was created by the Minnesota Legislature in response to federal law changes, which made certain noncitizens ineligible for federally funded Food Support. MFAP uses state funds to replace the benefits lost when federal Food Support eligibility ends. MFAP is only available to noncitizens 50 years of age or older. Apply for MFAP as you would for Food Support at your county offices. Click here for more information about MFAP. |
| The Food Support Screening tools below ask a few questions to help you determine if you may be eligible for the Food Support Program. The screening tools are available on the DHS Web site: |
| These tools are also available in Hmong, Russian, Somali and Spanish at your county agency. |
| Food Support eligibility depends on your household’s income and assets. Households must have income at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty guideline. As long as you receive the Domestic Violence Information Brochure, your household will have an asset limit of $7,000. The brochure is available on this Web site or at your county office. Just tell your county worker that you have received the brochure. County human services agencies accept client applications, determine eligibility, and determine benefit levels in accordance with state and federal regulations. The Food Support program is available in all 87 Minnesota counties. |
| To apply for Food Support, contact your county human services agency . You can find your county government’s web site on the State’s NorthStar web site. You may also call the Food Support hotline at (651) 431-4050 in the Twin Cities metro area or 1-800-657-3698 outside the metro area. For TTY service, call the Minnesota Relay at 711 or 1-800-627-3529. |
| Next, complete a Combined Application Form (CAF) and have an interview. The CAF is the application counties require you to complete to apply for Food Support and Cash assistance. When your benefits begin depends on the date the county receives the first page of the CAF. You can get a CAF from your local county office or from the DHS Web site. If you are not able to go to your county office for an interview due to hardship, you may request a phone interview. |
| Food Support can only be used for food and for plants and seeds to grow food for your household to eat. Food Support cannot be used to buy: |
| • Any nonfood item, such as pet foods; soaps, paper products, household supplies; grooming items, toothpaste, and cosmetics |
| • Alcoholic beverages and tobacco |
| • Any food that will be eaten in the store |
| For further information visit Using Food Stamps (SNAP) page of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. |
| Grocery stores and convenience stores must sell a variety of foods in order to be authorized to accept Minnesota’s Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which is similar to a debit card. Each month, your EBT account is credited with your benefits. During the month, you use your card to purchase food at enrolled grocery stores. Authorized stores will display a poster or sign that reads: “We Accept Food Stamp Benefits.” The card may also be used at authorized sites for Meals on Wheels and congregate dining. |
| The Food Support program is a supplemental program; your household is expected to spend about 30 percent of your resources on food. The amount of Food Support benefits will vary depending upon the number of people in your household and their income and assets. |
| Food Support does not have a time limit. As long as you meet program requirements, Food Support benefits continue as long as you need them. However, able-bodied adults without children who are able to work and do not work a minimum of 20 hours a week may only be eligible for three months of benefits in a 36-month period of time. Households exiting the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) may still qualify for continued food assistance from the Food Support program. |
| First you must fill out the Combined Application Form (CAF) you get from your local county office or print from the Minnesota Department of Human Services forms Web site. Complete the form and give it to your county human services office. You will also need to be interviewed and provide information such as your income, assets and housing costs. |
| If appointed as an authorized representative, you may contact the agency, attend interviews, complete forms, provide documentation, appeal county agency decisions, and/or receive food benefits for someone else. An authorized representative can be a friend, relative, person with power of attorney, or person appointed by the courts. To be appointed as an authorized representative, the client must list information about you on the Combined Application Form. |
| If you are unable to go to your county office for an interview, you can authorize a friend or relative who is familiar with your circumstances to apply on your behalf. This person is called an authorized representative. If you are unable to authorize someone, you can request to be interviewed over the telephone. |
| Households applying for or receiving Food Support have an asset limit of $7,000 as long as you receive the Domestic Violence Information Brochure and your household’s income is at or below the Food Support program limits. The value of a vehicle is not used when determining eligibility for Food Support. |
| It depends on your situation. For some emergency situations, you could be issued benefits within 24 hours of your interview. For most situations, your worker must notify you of a decision within 30 days. |
| The amount of benefits depends on your income, expenses and the number of people in your household. In federal fiscal year 2007, the average benefit per household was $186 per month. |
| Most food benefits are distributed through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), which is similar to a debit card. Each month, your EBT account is credited with your benefits. During the month, you use your card to purchase food at enrolled grocery stores. You swipe your EBT card through a point-of-sale terminal and the purchases are deducted from your account balance. You may authorize an additional person to use your EBT card. Food Support benefits can be used to buy food, or plants and seeds to grow food for you or your family. They may also be used at authorized sites for Meals on Wheels and congregate dining. Also see Using Food Stamps (SNAP) on the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Web site for more information. |
| No. Food Support does not consider the home you live in toward your assets and it does not recover any benefits paid out as a lien against your home. |
| If you have earned income, you must complete a Household Report Form and return it with proof of that income to your county office each month. If you do not have earned income, in most circumstances, you will only have to complete paperwork every 12 months. |
| Statistics in Minnesota for Federal Fiscal Year 2007 show the average benefit per household, per month is $186, and the average benefit per household, per month for those 65 and older is $49. |
| There is no time limit for Food Support. Once MFIP runs out, your county can help you continue to receive Food Support. Your financial worker may contact you for more information. If you do not want to continue receiving Food Support, contact your financial worker. |
| Food Support eligibility depends on your household’s income and assets. Households must have income at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty guideline. As long as you receive the Domestic Violence Information Brochure, your household will have an asset limit of $7,000. |
| Food Coupons are no longer issued; instead you will get an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. The EBT card looks and works like any other bank debit card, making it hard for people to tell what you are using to pay for your food. |
| Food Support is a form of assistance that benefits people with low incomes who work. As long as you meet income and asset limits, you are eligible. |
| Anyone who needs food assistance can apply. |
| If you are not able to go to the county office, you may request a telephone interview. You may also ask a relative, pastor, neighbor, etc., to attend the interview for you as an authorized representative. |
| You may own or buy a home and still receive Food Support. Your home and its lot are not considered assets, and the program does not require you to sign away your home. |
| Unreimbursed out-of-pocket medical expenses that exceed $35 a month may be used as a deduction unless an insurance company or someone who is not a household member pays for them. Only the amount over $35 can be deducted. |
| If all adult members of your household are seniors or disabled, the current review period is every 24 months. |
| Some immigrants are eligible for Food Support regardless of citizenship. If you receive Food Support, you are not considered a public charge under immigration laws. |
| Children born in the U.S. are legal citizens, and you may apply for Food Support for them, even if you have an illegal status or are undocumented. |
| The county office by law can not report any illegal immigrant status to USCIS (the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). |
| Depending on your immigrant status, you may be eligible for Food Support. There is also a State Funded Food Program for immigrants who do not qualify for federally funded Food Support if you are 50 years of age or older. |
| Yes, if your farm produces income for you and your family. |
| For self-employed farmers, the farm land you own to produce income is excluded from the Food Support asset limit. |
| Yes, for one year after you quit farming. After one year, the farm land would be a counted asset. |
| If you are a self-employed farmer, these items are excluded as long as they are being used to produce income. |
| If the contract produces income consistent with the farm’s fair market value, it is excluded. |
| If the lease contract produces income consistent with its fair market value, it is excluded as an income-producing asset. Your homestead and the surrounding land you own would be excluded as an asset as long as you live in it. |
| If you are making a good faith effort to sell it, the property is excluded as an asset. The farm might be considered a non-liquid asset under one of the following conditions: |
| • You are unable to sell the asset for any significant return. A significant return is any return that is determined to be more than $1,500, after estimating costs of sale or disposition and taking into account the ownership for the household. |
| • The cost of selling the asset would be relatively great. |
| • The sale is unlikely to produce significant funds of more than $1,500 for the support of your household. |
| Because Minnesota’s Food Support program is county-administered, it is best to begin by contacting the county office where you live. These links may be helpful: |
| • The Food Support hotline at DHS in the Twin Cities metro area is (651) 431-4050. |
| • Outside the metro area, call toll-free at 1-800-657-3698. |
| • For TTY service, call the Minnesota Relay at 711 or 1-800-627-3529. |
| • Call the Food Support hotline: (651) 431-4050 in the Twin Cities metro area or 1-800- 657-3698 outside the metro area. |
| • For TTY service, call the Minnesota Relay at 711 or 1-800- 627-3529. |
| • To report lost or stolen cards call 1-888-997-2227. |
| In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, DHS is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call 1(800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. |
| Find out about Food Support outreach |
| In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, DHS is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs, or disability. |
| To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call 1 (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. |
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