by Tara Rijon

Created on: February 16, 2010

As a seventeen year veteran of the state of Arizona’s Family Assistance Program, I have seen all kinds of people seated on the other side of my desk.  Where many people have the misconception that “food stamps are just for poor people,” I can tell you that they are wrong.

The term “food stamps” is pretty much a thing of the past, and we now refer to the government subsidy program as S.N.A.P. (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).  The project was initially implemented in 1939 to assist the poverty stricken people during the Great Depression and, at the time, stamps were purchased at a reduced rate to assist people in providing their families with nutritional meals.  The program has changed numerous times over the course of the past 70 years, as have the people who now make use of it.

QUALIFYING

Household Concept

Qualifying for S.N.A.P. is different for every household.  The first thing that is looked at is household concept, or the number of qualifying people within your home.  Just because you have seven family members, it does not necessarily mean that all seven would qualify.  Contrary to what people may believe, illegal immigrants are not eligible for nutritional assistance.  There are also regulations that apply to students of higher education.   Another consideration is prior food stamp fraud.


Resources

Your resources will play an important part in qualifying.  Your home is exempt, but if you own additional properties (such as rentals) they will be counted, as will your bank accounts, stocks and any other assets.  Your first vehicle will be excluded but all additional vehicles in your name will be counted.  


Income

Income is a factor that is often misconstrued.  Any (and all) income that you receive must be reported at the time of application.  If a qualifying individual is employed, their income is counted as “earned income.”  If you have a non-qualifying household member that is working, a portion of their income might also be counted.  Other income (such as unemployment, child support, social security, veteran‘s benefits, etc.) is “unearned income.”   The important thing is to report all income and let the eligibility worker determined what is counted and what is not.       


Deductions

When calculating your benefit entitlement, there are certain deductions that you are entitled

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