| Food Stamps Basics |
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by: Rappahannock Legal Services, Inc.
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| Q. | What are food stamps? |
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| A. | The food stamp program is a government program that can help people buy food. |
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| Q. | Who can get food stamps? |
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| A. | People who don't own have a lot of things and don't have enough money to buy their food. |
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| Q. | How can you get food stamps? |
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| A. | Go to the Department of Social Services office in your area to file an application. You will have to answer questions about who lives in your house, the vehicles that you own, your bank accounts, the money that have get from work, Social Security income, etc. |
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| Q. | Can you mail a food stamp application to Social Services? |
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| A. | You can mail an application or you can take it to the office. You must have a face-to-face meeting to apply unless you cannot get to the agency. If you don't have a vehicle or if you cannot leave home because of a medical condition, you can have a telephone interview. |
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| Q. | How long does it take to get the food stamps? |
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| A. | If your application is approved, you should get food stamps within 30 days. If your situation is very severe, you could get help within 7 days. |
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| Q. | How much will you receive? |
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| A. | The amount of food stamps is based on the number of people in your house, the income you have and your household bills. |
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| Q. | Where can you spend the food stamps? |
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| A. | Most grocery stores take food stamps. Virginia no longer issues food stamp coupons. Customers now get a debit care when approved for the program. The food stamp benefits are added to the debit card on the first day of every month. The card works like a credit card. |
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| Q. | What can you buy with food stamps? |
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| A. | Food stamps can be used for food items and seeds for your garden. You cannot buy pet food, alcohol, tobaco products or paper products. |
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| Q. | If there is a change in your household, what do you need to do? |
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| A. | There are many things that must be reported to your worker at Social Services. The change may cause you to get a different amount of food stamps. For example, you must always report someone moving in or out of your house, a change in your income or a change in your address, etc. If you don't tell your worker about a change and you get too many food stamps, you could be charged with fraud. Intentional food stamp fraud can result in jail time. |
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| Q. | If your application is denied or you think you should be getting more food stamps, what can you do? |
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| A. | You can ask your worker to explain the decision. If you don't understand, you should ask questions. If you still don't think the decision if right, you can file an appeal by filing out a simple one page form. The appeal should be filed as soon as possible but you have up to 90 days after the date of the decision. A hearing will be held at the local Department of Social Services office. A Hearing Officer will decide if the decision is right. If you did not receive the right amount of food stamps, the Hearing Officer will order the agency to make a correction and repay you. |
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| Q. | Can someone help you at a hearing? |
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| A. | You may bring someone to the hearing to help you. You may also contact the local legal aid office for advice and help with your appeal. A worker from the legal aid office may be able to represent you at the hearing. |
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| Q. | Do you have to work to get food stamps? |
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| A. | Some people do have to work or look for work to be able to get food stamps. If you are under age 18 or at least 50 years old, the work requirement does not affect you. Pregnant women and disabled people do not have to work or look for work. People with a short-term medical disability (for example, a broken leg or surgery) are also exempt from the work requirement until they can return to work. A statement from your doctor will be needed to verify your medical condition and to estimate how long you are unable to work. |
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| Q. | What will happen if you quit your job? |
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| A. | If you quit your job, you will not be able to get food stamps for a while. However, if you have a good reason for quitting the job, your benefits may continue. You will need explain the reason to your worker. |
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| Q. | Can two families have separate food stamp cases if they live in the same house? |
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| A. | It depends on how the families buy their food and fix their meals. If they keep their food separate, each "household" can have a food stamp case. There are some instances when certain people must be in the same food stamp "household". For example, husbands and wives must be in the same food stamp household group and children under age 22 must be in the same food stamp household when living with a parent. Even if the child who is under age 22 is married, he must be in the same food stamp household if he lives in the home with his parents. |
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