SNAP

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves as the first line of defense against hunger. It enables eligible families to buy nutritious food with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, called “Access Oklahoma.” The Access Oklahoma card works like a debit card. Benefits are automatically loaded monthly for participating households to buy eligible food from authorized retailers. See “Where can SNAP benefits be used?”

To be eligible for SNAP benefits a person must have documentation of being:

• A United States citizen – born in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Northern Mariana Islands, or a person born outside the U.S. when at least one parent is a U.S. citizen.
• A U.S. noncitizen national – born in outlying possessions of the U.S. such as American Samoa or Swains Island.
• A noncitizen who is both qualified and eligible; or noncitizen who has documentation of qualified noncitizen status that can be confirmed in SAVE.
• A noncitizen not required to meet qualified noncitizen status – American Indians from St. Regis Band of the Mohawk, Micmac, Abanaki, and Kickapoo; Hmong or Highland Laotian tribe in Vietnam, or Afghan and Iraqi refugees
• And be within income limits (See “What is SNAP’s income limit?”)

SNAP benefits can be used at any retailer that accepts SNAP. These mostly include grocery stores, big-box stores, convenient stores, and in some areas, farmers markets.

Here a link to a list of retailers that accept SNAP: www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailer-locator

SNAP benefits can only be used for food and for plants and seeds to grow food for your household to eat.

SNAP benefits cannot be used to buy:

• Any nonfood item, such as pet foods; soaps, paper products, and household supplies; grooming items, toothpaste, and cosmetics
• Alcoholic beverages and tobacco
• Vitamins and medicines
• Any food that will be eaten in the store
• Hot foods

If you or your household have experienced recent changes, you may be eligible to receive benefits. Changes can include:

• Household income
• Number of people in the household
• Job status

Yes, as the parent/guardian of U.S. citizen children under the age of 18 you can apply on their behalf. You will still need to submit proof of income for the household. However, benefits will only be calculated based on the number of individuals/children who qualify for SNAP benefits.

Applying for SNAP on behalf your citizen children will not impact your immigration status or be considered in your public charge evaluation for changes to immigration status.

Only OKDHS can determine if you qualify for benefits. We suggest applying to find out. This is especially important if your income is only slightly over the limits or if anyone in your home is over age 60 years or disabled. Your answers to application questions will help OKDHS figure out if you are eligible.

SNAP’s income limit is based on the number of people for whom you are applying. Here is a general overview of income limits based on household size:

Current SNAP Income Eligibility Limits Table

SNAP applicants can now submit documents the following ways:

• Fax documents to 405-669-4102
• Drop off copies at your local OKDHS office
• Upload documents through Fast Pass on OKDHSLive