SNAP Benefits 2022: How Can College Students Qualify for Food Stamps, EBT Card?

Qualification for SNAP benefits 2022 varies, with each state imposing its own eligibility standards for its recipients.

According to MARCA, aside from emergency allotments, SNAP benefits for college students have also been temporarily extended due to the ongoing pandemic crisis.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamp Program, is a U.S. federal financial assistance program that helps those eligible to purchase food.

Most students in higher education more than half-time are usually not eligible unless they meet an exemption and fulfill all other eligibility requirements.

A student in full-time or more than half-time may still be eligible for SNAP benefits if they are under age 18 or 50 or older; have a physical or mental disability; work at least 20 hours a week in paid employment, and participate in a state or federally financed work-study program.

It also covers those who participate in an on-the-job training program; care for a child under the age of six; are single parents enrolled full-time in college and taking care of a child under 12; and receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families assistance.

They can also be eligible for SNAP benefits for college students if enrolled in a TANF Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program.

SNAP Benefits for College Students

Aside from the special exemptions for college students, there are also income requirements that should be considered based on family size considering 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL), according to College Snap Project.

FPL determines eligibility for many federal and state public programs. Students can also qualify for SNAP benefits in Texas if they are assigned to or self-placed in a college or other institution of higher education through a SNAP employment and training program.

Those in a program under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 and the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program under Section 236 of the Trade Act of 1974 are also eligible.

EBT Card

Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) is an electronic system that allows a SNAP benefits recipient to pay for food using SNAP benefits.

Their SNAP EBT account is debited to reimburse the store for food that was purchased when recipients shop at a SNAP authorized retail store.

Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture noted that EBT is used in all 50 states, namely the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam.

EBT has also been the sole method of SNAP issuance in all states since June of 2004. Pandemic-EBT is part of the U.S. federal government's response to the pandemic.

It was established by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Pandemic-EBT is very similar to SNAP benefits. However, it provides benefits to children that would have received free or reduced-price school meals if not due for COVID-related closures and restrictions in childcare facilities and schools.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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