Step 1 (optional): Take the pre-screening test here.
Step 2: Apply in one of the following ways:
- Apply online here.
- Print out an application here.
Step 3: Mail or deliver your completed application to your local department of human services office. Find the nearest office here.
Note: For assistance, please call: 401-462-5300
Applying For Rhode Island Food Stamps
Food stamps, or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) as it is currently technically named, was set up to help those living in the U.S. who are undergoing difficulty buying food because they’re generating a low income. SNAP delivered help to over 40 million Americans in 2010.
Everyone inside the United States can apply for food stamps, regardless of their background, race, gender, or religion. Precisely how much a person receives in assistance from SNAP depends on a few factors, but in the year 2008, the average person received $101 a month.
For you to become accepted into the food stamp program, you have to meet certain monetary and situational requirements. Specific documents of proof of your eligibility are required when you apply.
For many individuals under the age of 60, you cannot have more than $2,000 in assets. If you or another person in your household is at least 60 years old, that limit is raised to $3,000. For those who are currently receiving aid from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF), or accept Supplemental Security Income (SSI), these do not count as assets when you apply for food stamps. Resources which do count towards your total assets include cash, money saved in a bank account and in some cases a vehicle.
There’s also an income limit, which depends on the number of people living in your home when that you apply for food stamps.
An individual’s expenses are also taken into account when you apply for food stamps. The total you pay for child or elderly care, rent or mortgage and utilities will all be considered. Certain medical expenses may also be considered under some instances.
What To Do After You Submit Your Application For Food Stamps In Rhode Island
Once you have submitted your completed application to the Department of Human Services (DHS), you will be contacted within the next 30 days. This contact will most likely be in the form of a letter with information about an interview. The date and time will be preselected, but if you cannot make it at that time, you will need to set up an interview time with your case worker at the DHS.
The interview will be either over the phone or in person at a local DHS office. For the interview, you will need some documents to back up what you stated on your food stamps application. If your interview is scheduled to be conducted over the telephone, you need to mail or fax your documents of proof to your local DHS office before your interview is scheduled to take place. If your interview is going to be a face-to-face interview in your local DHS office, you will need to bring your documents of proof along with you. Sometimes more documents of proof are required, such as child support papers. If any additional documents have been requested, you must mail, fax or deliver them within 10 days from the date of your interview. For a list of documents needed during your interview, click here.
Once your interview is complete, you will find out if you are approved to get food stamps or if you have been denied. If you are denied, your caseworker may be able to suggest other avenues of help for you. If you are accepted, you will receive your EBT card either in person or through the mail. If your card is given to you in person, you will choose a 4-digit pin number in the office. If however, you get your EBT card in the mail, you will need to call the customer service number located on the back of your EBT card to set a pin number. Without a pin number you cannot use your EBT card to buy food. When you call the customer service number to set your pin number, you will need to enter the 16-digit number located on the front of your EBT card.
An EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card is supplied to those who are found eligible and pass the application and interview process. The EBT card works the same as a debit card. The EBT card can be used to get food items at particular grocery stores, convenience stores, or farmers markets.