CalFresh
The CalFresh program, formerly known as Food
Stamps and federally known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP), can add to your food budget to put healthy and nutritious food
on the table. The program issues monthly electronic benefits
(similar to a bank debit card) that can be used to buy most foods at
many markets and grocery stores.
What does the name change mean for me, a
current food stamp recipient?
CalFresh is the new name for the Food Stamp
Program in California. CalFresh and SNAP are not new programs.
The name change will have no effect on current benefits.
Recipients will continue to receive benefits as before and access them
with the same
electronic
card at local authorized retailers and grocery stores.
CalFresh benefits provide eligible
individuals or groups who live in the same household increased food
purchasing power. Information about the household's income and
number of people is used to determine the amount of CalFresh benefits
they can receive. CalFresh benefits are issued through an Electronic
Benefits Transfer (EBT) system. CalFresh benefits cannot be traded for
cash, used to pay debts or used for non-food items such as but not
limited to: tobacco, alcohol, health care products or paper
products.
CalFresh
CalFresh is a federally funded program that
helps income eligible people buy the food they need for good health.
For most households, CalFresh benefits are only part of their food
budget; they must spend some of their own cash along with their CalFresh
benefits in order to buy enough food for a month.
The amount of CalFresh benefits an income
eligible person or family can receive is based on the U. S. Department
of Agriculture's (USDA) Thrifty Food Plan. The Plan estimates how much
it costs to provide a household with nutritious, low-cost meals. The
estimates are revised every year to keep pace with changes in food
prices.
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CalFresh Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1.
How many CalFresh
benefits can you receive?
2.
How much
property and income can you have and still get CalFresh?
3.
What can you purchase
with CalFresh?
4.
Can single
people living alone receive CalFresh?
5.
Can you receive aid from other programs and receive CalFresh?
6.
Can a homeless person
receive CalFresh?
7.
How do I use my EBT Card?
8.
Where do I go
to apply for CalFresh in Yuba County?
Answers:
1.
How many CalFresh
benefits can you receive?
If you are eligible, the size of your
household and your monthly income determine how much you get each month.
The less monthly income you have, the more CalFresh benefits you will
receive. The chart below lists the maximum amount that
could be received for the household size.
|
Maximum Food Stamp Allotments
|
|
Household Size
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
|
Maximum
Amount
|
$200
|
$367
|
$526
|
$668
|
$793
|
$952
|
$1,052
|
$1,202
|
$1,352
|
$1,502
|
*Add $150 for each additional member beyond
10.
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2.
How much property and
income can you have and still get CalFresh?
By offering you Pub 275, the
Federal Government has made it so that your resources are not considered
for purposes of CalFresh eligibility. CalFresh has two income tests:
gross (before payroll deductions) and net monthly income (income after
all allowable deductions under the CalFresh rules have been subtracted).
Households that do not include any elderly or disabled household members
must meet the gross income eligibility standard which is 130% of the
federal poverty guidelines. Any household that has a member who is
elderly or disabled need only pass the net income test. If the
household's net monthly income is more than the net income limit, the
household cannot get CalFresh benefits.
|
Maximum Gross Income for Food
Stamp Eligibility
Effective 10/01/2012
|
|
Household Size
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
|
Maximum Gross Monthly Income*
|
$1,211
|
$1,640
|
$2,069
|
$2,498
|
$2,927
|
$3,356
|
$3,785
|
$4,214
|
$4,643
|
$5,072
|
|
Maximum Net Monthly Income**
|
$931
|
$1,261
|
$1,591
|
$1,921
|
$2,251
|
$2,581
|
$2,911
|
$3,241
|
$3,571
|
$3,901
|
*Add $429 for each additional member beyond
10
**Add $330 for each additional member beyond
10
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3.
What can you purchase with
CalFresh?
CalFresh can be used to buy any food or food
product that is produced for human consumption. The exception to
this is hot foods or lunch counter items prepared or heated in the
store. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, vitamins or medicines, and
pet food are also excluded. Seeds and plants for use in home
gardens to produce food can also be purchased with CalFresh.
CalFresh benefits cannot be used to buy non-food items like soap, toilet
paper or shampoo.
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4.
Can single people
living alone receive CalFresh?
Yes. Being married and/or having
children are not requirements.
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5. Can you receive aid from other
programs and receive CalFresh?
Yes. In California, 60 percent of the
CalFresh households also receive cash aid from other public assistance
programs. There is a restriction that a household cannot
participate simultaneously in the CalFresh Program and the Emergency
Food Assistance Program. Also, in California, Supplemental
Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program
participants do not qualify for CalFresh.
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6.
Can a homeless person receive
CalFresh?
Yes. A person must reside in the county
in which an application is filed. Residence in a permanent
dwelling or a fixed mailing address is not required.
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7.
How do I use my EBT (Electronic
Benefits Transfer) Card?
CalFresh recipients are issued a plastic card
called an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Card that they then use to
make purchases from stores that accept CalFresh benefits. The
stores will have machines, called POS (point of sale) machines, through
which the customers will swipe their EBT cards. The amount of the
purchase will be automatically (electronically) deducted from the
CalFresh EBT account. For additional information, go to
www.ebtproject.ca.gov
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8.
Where do I go to
apply for CalFresh in Yuba County?
Persons living in Yuba County may go to 5730
Packard Ave., Suite 100 - Marysville, CA 95901 or click on the
C4Yourself logo and apply online.
If you cannot get to the office, someone who
knows your circumstances, and is authorized by you, can apply and be
interviewed for you.
For more information on CalFresh you may
visit the
State Web Site or call (530) 749-6311.
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