Kansas SRS - Food Assistance Program

Food Assistance & Nutrition Program

March 2008

Food Assistance:

Vision Card User Handbook (pdf 1.7MB)

Need A Little Extra Green? brochure (pdf)

Need A Little Extra Dough? brochure (pdf)

Your Guide To Kansas Food Resources (pdf) Español

Food Resource Map

For an online application to apply for services click here

Haga clic aquí para obtener solicitudes de nuestros servicios.

Emergency Food Distribution Program (TEFAP):

Food Distribution Fact Sheet

Food Distribution Locations (pdf)

Food Distribution Calendar (pdf)

This document contains:

Program Overview
What are Food Stamps?
How does the program work?
Who is eligible?
How much help can I get?
What are the income requirements?
What other household resources count toward eligibility?
Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to apply?
What are the special provisions for the elderly and/or disabled, medical expenses, shelter expenses, households with farm income, and categorically eligible households?
How does the Nutrition Education part of the Food Assistance Program work?
How can Nutrition Information help?
How can I get food preparation and nutrition information?
Related Links and Other Helping Agencies for Food Assistance

Program Overview

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Assistance Program (also known as the Food Stamp Program) provides Food Stamp benefits low-income households who qualify. It also provides education on food preparation and nutrition to these families. This program is meant to provide low income households with access to a healthy, nutritious diet.

The Food Assistance Program serves as the first line of defense against hunger. This program provides crucial support to elderly households, needy working households, and to those households making the transition from welfare to work. Food stamp recipients can spend their benefits to buy eligible nutritious food. They can also spend the food stamp benefit for plants and seeds to grow food for their household to eat.

What are Food Stamps?

The Food Assistance Program (also known as the Food Stamp Program) is a nutrition assistance program which provides a Vision card (plastic debit card) to eligible persons for use in purchasing food from local grocery stores. Complete information regarding food assistance eligibility can be obtained by contacting your local Social and Rehabilitation Services Office or call toll free at 1-888-369-4777.

How does the program work?

SRS offers food assistance (food stamps) to low income individuals and families to buy food from the local grocery store. The cost is electronically subtracted from the person’s Vision card account. The Vision card looks and acts like a debit card. Simply present the card to the store clerk when purchasing food.

Who is eligible?

Persons who work, but have a low income and those who do not work are eligible.
Persons who live together and buy food together are eligible. Household members do not have to be related to be considered part of the household.
Persons age 60 and older and persons with disabilities are eligible. Persons with disabilities such as those receiving Supplemental Security Income, Social Security Disability payments, certain Veteran’s disability payments, disability retirement benefits for a permanent disability, and railroad disability.

Any single individual, household, or group of individuals who live and eat together, whose income and resources are low and who meet certain basic program requirements can qualify.

THE FOOD STAMP PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE TO ALL ELIGIBLE PERSONS REGARDLESS OF RACE, COLOR, CREED, SEX, AGE, NATIONAL ORIGIN, POLITICAL BELIEFS, OR HANDICAPS.

How much help can I get?

The amount of assistance eligible persons receive is based on household size and amount of income after deductions.

What are the income requirements?

The Maximum Monthly Net Incomes (Effective 10-01-07)
$851	1 person
$1141	2 persons
$1431	3 persons
$1721	4 persons
$2011	5 persons
Add $290 for each additional person

What other household resources count toward eligibility?

All income and resources must be reported when you apply. Although certain types of income may be excluded, most is counted in determining eligibility and the amount of food assistance benefits for the household. Food assistance income limits go up as household size increases. The following can be deducted from total gross monthly income to determine monthly net Income:

to cover basic household expenses, a standard deduction will be subtracted
to cover work-related expenses and payroll taxes, a 20% deduction will be subtracted from earned income
to cover dependent care expenses, a deduction for actual costs, up to the maximum allowed, will be subtracted
to cover high shelter expenses, a deduction for actual costs, up to the maximum allowed, may be subtracted
to cover legally obligated child support payments, a deduction for actual payments will be subtracted

All households may have up to $2,000 worth of resources. Households may have up to $3,000 if at least one member is age 60 or older or is disabled.

Some countable resources that apply toward the $2,000 (or $3,000) limit are:

cash, checking and savings accounts
U.S. Savings Bonds
Savings Certificates
buildings or land (except family home)
jointly owned resources

Certain Resources are exempt, such as:

the home where you live
cars and other vehicles
life insurance policies
income-producing real estate (if the property annually produces income consistent with its fair market value)
tradesman tools and farm machinery

See Special Provisions below for eligibility requirements for the elderly, disabled, Veterans, households with farm income, and those receiving other assistance.

Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to apply?

To be eligible for Food Assistance, persons or the persons’ household members must be United States citizens or meet other non-citizen qualifications. Many non-citizens may be eligible for assistance, so please apply. SRS is not required to report to Immigration and Naturalization Services.

What are the special provisions?

Special Provisions for the Elderly and/or Disabled

Special Provisions for the elderly and/or disabled include medical expenses and shelter expenses. Additionally, elderly and disabled people who have difficulty getting around can ask the SRS office to arrange a home visit or telephone interview. Elderly and disabled people may also name an authorized representative who can complete the food assistance application process for them or can assist or accompany them.

Special Provisions for Medical Expenses

Medical Expenses are defined as if a household has at least one person who:

is 60 or older
receives SSI benefits or disability payments under the Social Security Act
is a disabled veteran, a disabled surviving spouse of a veteran, or a disabled surviving child of a veteran
meets one of the other specific disability criteria

The person may deduct unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed $35 a month for its elderly or disabled members. Deductions are made from the household's adjusted income.

Special Provisions for Shelter Expenses

Households with elderly or disabled persons may also deduct all shelter costs over 50% of the household's adjusted income. Disabled persons receiving or applying for SSI benefits may apply for food assistance at local Social Security offices at the time they apply or reapply for SSI benefits. Joint processing is limited to persons who live in households in which all members are receiving or applying for SSI.

Special Provisions for Households with Farm Income

If the cost of producing farm income exceeds the income derived from self-employment as a farmer, such losses will be offset against any other countable income in the household. To utilize this provision, a self-employed farmer must receive or anticipate receiving annual gross proceeds of $1,000 or more from the farming enterprise.

Special Provisions for Categorically Eligible Households

Households in which all members receive or are authorized to receive Temporary Assistance for Families (TAF), General Assistance (GA) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) may be considered categorically eligible for food assistance because of their status as TAF, GA and/or SSI recipients. If all members of the household are approved for TAF, GA and/or SSI benefits, contact the local SRS office about the possibility of categorical eligibility for food stamps.

How does the Nutrition Education part of the Food Assistance Program work?

Teaching about good nutrition is an important part of the Food Assistance Program. It is meant to help food stamp participants and others choose healthy foods and an active lifestyle. It can also help them stretch their food dollars with easy meals. The State of Kansas works with Kansas State University Extension Service to provide the Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program. SRS and Kansas State University Extension Service are part of the Kansas Nutrition Network (KNN).

How can Nutrition information help?

USDA studies show that many low-income households do not know the facts about good dietary practices. Approximately 65% of adults in America and 16% of children and adolescents are overweight. This extra weight is putting them at risk for serious problems. These include heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and some cancers.

In Kansas, the objectives of the Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE) program are to:

improve dietary quality by providing information on the Dietary Guidelines and My Pyramid
increase fruit and vegetable consumption
increase food resource management skills
increase participation in physical activity
increase food security by taking advantage of Food Stamp benefits

How can I get food preparation and nutrition information?

Newsletters are sent to Food Stamp households. Recipients are also encouraged to attend food and nutrition classes and workshops. Youth are also taught nutrition in Head Start and pre-school facilities, school classrooms, churches, community centers, and in summer school programs. To locate your local Extension Office for more information, visit: www.oznet.ksu.edu/Map.aspx

Related Links and Other Helping Agencies for Food Assistance:

If you think you may need food assistance, it is best to just go ahead and apply. For more information or to apply for services:

call or visit your nearest SRS office (click on the Locations tab at the top of the page to find the nearest office or access point)
call toll-free 1-888-369-4777

In addition to the state and federal food assistance programs listed at Guide to Kansas Food Resources , many local helping organizations distribute locally donated food through food banks, churches or other methods. Kansas counties responded to a 2005 survey and provided the local food distribution points in each county.

The Food Resources Map and its list of Kansas counties contain links to a page for each county, with a listing of those county and community agencies that distribute food to persons in need.

The County Extension Offices can be found on the map of the state that links you to each county: www.oznet.ksu.edu/Map.aspx

Commodity Food Program Recipe Exchange

Family Nutrition Program - Food Stamp Nutrition Education

Flint Hills Breadbasket Foodbank in Manhattan

Food Stamp Nutrition Connection

Fruit and Vegetable Good for You Newsletter, Spring 2007, by KSU(pdf)

Harvester Foodbank in KC, Missouri

Ks Assn. of Community Action Agencies (KACAP)

Kansas Foodbank Warehouse in Wichita

Kansas Nutrition Network

Kids a Cookin’

Let's Help

Pick A Better Snack, by The Kansas Nutrition Network(pdf)

St. Joseph, Missouri Foodbank

USDA Food Facts