Step 1 (optional): Take the pre-screening eligibility test here.
Step 2: Apply in one of the following ways:
- Apply online here.
- Print out an application here and mail it to your local department of human services.
Note: Find a department of human services near you here.
For assistance, please call: 866-311-4287
More About Tennessee Food Stamps
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was built to support families that do not have the income to purchase their groceries each month. In 2010 alone, SNAP assisted more than 40 million men, women and children obtain enough to eat.
Anybody within the United States can apply for food stamps, regardless of their particular background, ethnicity, gender, or religion. The average person received $101/month through the SNAP program in 2008, helping them to purchase bread, milk, meat, vegetables, fresh fruits and even garden seeds.
Requirements For The Food Stamps Program In Tennessee
There are a few requirements a person has to satisfy in order to be eligible to receive assistance from the food stamp program. Also, there are several documents an applicant is going to need throughout the food stamps application and interview process.
In most cases, if you are under 60 years old, it is a requirement for you to not have any greater than $2,000 in assets. If a person in your household, or you, are at least sixty years old, then the limit is brought up to $3,000. Assistance from TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program), or SSI (Supplemental Security Income), do not count as assets when applying for food stamps. Resources that do count towards your total assets include cash, money saved in a bank account and in some cases a vehicle.
An additional requirement is an income limit, which is affected by the amount of persons you have living at your house while you are requesting for food stamps.
How much your expenses are is also considered while making a request for SNAP benefits. Child care, elderly care, rent, mortgage, and utilities are expenses that are factored in. On top of that, there are also certain medical expenditures which may add up towards your total expenses when applying for food stamps.
The Benefit Security EBT Card
Paper food stamps are no longer issued in Tennessee to SNAP beneficiaries. Since 1998, those who are accepted into the SNAP program receive an electronic benefits transfer card (EBT). The EBT card can be used like a debit card to buy food items at particular grocery stores, convenience stores, or even farmer markets.
In Tennessee, the EBT card is called a Benefit Security Card in Tennessee. With the Benefit Security Card, you can buy any food in a store besides hot foods that are ready to eat. Hot foods are usually found in the deli. You can also buy select beverages including water. Some drinks that are considered nutritional supplements are not allowed. Tobacco, nutritional supplements and medications, alcoholic beverages and household items such as shampoo and tissue are not allowed either.