Benefits.gov - Mississippi Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

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Mississippi Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Managing Agency Mississippi http://www.mississippi.gov

Program Description

The Mississippi Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides monthly benefits that help low income households buy the food they need for good health. Eligibility criteria, income and resource limits and allotment maximums per household size are set by Federal laws and regulations governing SNAP under United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). A person who meets one of the following criteria may qualify for SNAP:

Work for low wages
Unemployed or work part-time
Receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF),Social Security's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or other assistance payments
Elderly or disabled and live on a small income

Additional eligibility requirements exist. You will need to work with the Mississippi Department of Human Services, Economic Assistance Office to determine whether you are eligible for benefits. To apply for benefits, you must submit an application to your local county Department of Human Services Economic Assistance office. After an application is received, an eligibility worker will hold an interview with you, another member of the household, or a household's authorized representative to gather information and explain SNAP. After all required verifications are completed, the household will be notified by mail whether or not they are eligible, and, if so, their benefit amount, certification period and issuance procedure. If you qualify for SNAP, the household will receive SNAP no later than 30 days from the date the office receives the application. Households with very low income and resources may qualify for expedited services receive benefits within seven calendar days.

General Program Requirements

In order to qualify for this benefit program, you must be a resident of the state of Mississippi and fall into one of two groups: (1) those with a current bank balance (savings and checking combined) under $2,001, or (2) those with a current bank balance (savings and checking combined) under $3,001 who share their household with a person or persons age 60 and over, or with a person with a disability (a child, your spouse, a parent, or yourself). For either group, you must also have an annual household income of less than $14,079 if one person lives in the household; $18,941 if two people live in the household; $23,803 if three people live in the household; $28,665 if four people live in the household; $33,527 if five people live in the household; $38,389 if six people live in the household; $43,251 if seven people live in the household; or $48,113 if eight people live in the household. For larger households, add $4,862 for each additional person in the home.

Your Next Steps

The following information will lead you to the next steps to apply for this benefit.

Application Process

The SNAP application can be found at the following location:
http://www.mdhs.state.ms.us/ea_application.pdf

To apply for this program, fill out the application and make an appointment to speak with a representative at your local county office:
http://www.mdhs.state.ms.us/pdfs/eadirectory.pdf

Program Contact Information

For more information about this program, please visit: http://www.mdhs.state.ms.us/ea_fs.html

Please be aware other information may be needed, as well as an in office interview to complete the application process. This application is only the first step.