Food Stamp Program

General Questions about the Food Stamp Program

What is the Food Stamp Program?

The Food Stamp Program provides low-income people with electronic benefits or coupons they can use like cash to purchase food at most grocery stores.

How does the Food Stamp Program define homelessness?
Under the Food Stamp Program rules, an individual is considered homeless if he/she does not have a regular nighttime residence or his/her primary nighttime residence is a temporary accommodation in:

• A supervised shelter
• A halfway house
• The residence of another person for up to three months
• A place not designed for regular sleeping, such as a hallway, bus station or lobby

How is a Food Stamp benefit amount determined?
Your clients eligible for food stamps are issued a monthly amount based on the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), a low-cost model diet plan. The TFP is based on National Academy of Sciences’ Recommended Dietary Allowances and on food choices of low-income people.

How do my clients receive their benefit amount?
Most states use an Electronic Benefits Transfer System (EBT). An EBT card is mailed to you or your client. Monthly amounts are made available on the card through a computer system. The food stamp office will inform your client as to the day of the month that the funds will be available on the card. Your client will need to choose a Personal Identification Number (PIN) in order to access his or her funds on the card. The EBT card can be used in most grocery stores. EBT cards work in the same manner as debit cards.

Not all states have an EBT system in place. In states where EBT is not available, food stamp coupons are issued through the mail, or Authorization to Participate (ATP) cards are mailed to your clients and coupons are available for pick-up at issuance centers designated by the state agency. For the latest data on state agency’s progress in implementing EBT, go to www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/ebt/ebt_status_highlights.htm.

Where can I access information in my state about the Food Stamp Program?
For more information on the Food Stamp Program in your state, please visit www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/contact_info/hotlines.htm.

For more information on the Food Stamp Program, please visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Stamp Program Web site at www.fns.usda.gov/fsp.