Grocery prices across Washington state have continued to rise in recent months, along with the prices of gas, housing and other necessities.
As your family's grocery bill gets more expensive, finding ways to save money and meet your needs can be difficult. But what about options for assistance like food stamps? In Washington, there are two main food stamp programs through the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
How to know if you are eligible for food assistance:
The Basic Food program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is known as the Basic Food program in Washington state. This program helps citizens with low incomes by providing monthly benefits to purchase food.
Those applying for food assistance must be U.S. citizens, unless those who are not legal citizens are lawful immigrants as defined by the Washington Administrative Code. Those who are not eligible for Basic Food include fugitive felons and undocumented immigrants.
The amount of Basic Food benefits a household receives is based on the household size, income and monthly expenses.
Income limits to receive Basic Food benefits depend on the number of people in your "assistance unit," or the group of people who live together and whose incomes are considered in deciding if the household is eligible for benefits:
• If you have a household of one person, you must have a gross monthly income of $1,396 or less to be eligible for the Basic Food program.
• If you have a household of two people, you must have a gross monthly income of $1,888 or less to be eligible.
• For a family of four, you must have a gross monthly income of $2,871 or less to be eligible for the Basic Food program.
The income limits have some exceptions based on members who are 60 years of age or older or have a disability, and those with an income level below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level are typically eligible.
To see if you qualify for the Basic Food program, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services provides an online benefits calculator to evaluate if your household is eligible for food assistance.
Those wanting to apply for the Basic Food program can apply online, by calling 877-501-2233, by visiting a DSHS Community Service Office or by mailing an application to DSHS Customer Service Center, PO Box 11699, Tacoma, WA 98411-6699.
State Food Assistance Program
The State Food Assistance Program is for those who are not eligible for The Basic Food program, or SNAP, because of their immigration status. This program helps legal immigrants with low incomes by providing monthly benefits to purchase food.
To be eligible, applicants must be legal immigrants who meet all requirements for the Basic Food program, except citizen or alien status.
Households can also receive a mix of both State Food Assistance benefits and Basic Food benefits depending on the citizenship status of each individual in the household.
Those in the State Food Assistance Program receive the same amount of benefits they would in the Basic Food program.
Those wanting to apply for the State Food Assistance Program can apply online or by visiting a local DSHS Community Service Office.
