More than 70 million Americans who receive either Social Security benefits and/or Supplemental Security Income can now collect food stamps, too, CalFresh said.
The main national anti-hunger program is Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Also known as food stamps, the program assists close to 42 million recipients who use SNAP to purchase groceries and other items.
Check out the new changes in California Food Stamps for the fiscal year 2023. (Photo: iStock | Getty Images)
Social Security Recipients: Can They Also Collect food stamp Benefits?
GetCalFresh says yes. Even if they get additional income from the Social Security Administration, they can apply for CalFresh food assistance if they receive any Social Security Income.
A county employee will look at your income and compare it to your spending to establish the precise amount of your benefit. Your benefit amount will be larger the more expenditures, such as rent or medical costs, you can demonstrate.
In addition to getting SNAP benefits while receiving Social Security, older Americans may also qualify for food stamps more easily because of unique criteria that apply to those over 60. For instance, a typical family may still be eligible for SNAP even with up to $2,500 in countable resources, such as cash or money in the bank.
The countable resource cap rises to $3,750 for households with a disabled or older person, however.
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Some Eligible Seniors Not Collecting SNAP Benefits
GoBankingRates (via Yahoo! Finance), citing a 2021 study from the National Council on Aging, said five million older persons who are eligible for SNAP, or three out of five, are not receiving their full benefits.
Although the data are startling, it is unknown how many of those five million individuals never apply for SNAP because they believe they are ineligible while receiving Social Security benefits. Less than half of those aged 60 and older either don’t get SNAP benefits despite being qualified or receive less than they should.
The myth of dual eligibility isn’t the only falsehood that discourages applicants. According to NCOA, many people think older Americans may only get $16 per month in food stamps, but that amount is the minimum; the average benefit for seniors who qualify is more than $100.
The medical expenditure deduction, which enables older individuals who spend more than $35 per month on out-of-pocket medical expenses to deduct those costs from their gross income when applying for SNAP, is only used by a few seniors.
So, yes, you may get both Social Security and SNAP benefits at once, and if you qualify, you should do so without a doubt.
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