Purchasing nutritious food with the help of the Food Stamp program.
The Indiana Food Stamp program is available to low income families to help with purchasing nutritious food. Individuals and families must meet specific requirements, such as income and asset limits, citizenship requirements and work guidelines. The benefits help to buy bread, cereal, fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products. Families with no money for food are provided with emergency benefits. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Income
Income provided on an application includes regular earnings, unemployment, Social Security payments and pensions. As of 2010, the gross monthly income allowed for one person is $1,174 a month. For each additional member of the household, you add an extra $406. A household with a member over the age of 60 or disabled must also meet net income requirements. To determine your net income, allowable deductions are subtracted from the gross income. Accepted deductions include child care costs, medical payments for elderly or disabled family members, child support, housing and utility costs. The net income limits are $903 for one person, and for each additional member you add $312.
Requirements
To receive benefits, an applicant must be a resident of Indiana and be a U.S. citizen or have alien status. When applying, you must provide the names, birth dates and Social Security numbers for each member of the household. A household is defined as people living in the home who purchase food and prepare meals together. Members of a household do not need to be related to be included on the application. You must show proof of income along with the expenses for each member of the household. An individual with a drug conviction after August 22, 1996 is ineligible to receive benefits.
Student Eligibility
A student can be eligible to receive benefits. He must work a minimum of 20 hours a week and receive pay for that work. A student who is responsible for a child under the age of six, or is the single parent of a child under the age of 12, can apply for the program. You can be eligible if you participate in a higher education program that is funded by the Workforce Investment Act or in a work-training program.
Resources
The maximum amount of resources that can be available to all the household members is $2,000. If there is an elderly or disabled person living in the home, the resource limit is $3,000. Items not considered resources are the vehicle you use for transportation, home, clothing, jewelry, furniture and household goods.
Emergency Benefits
You can request emergency benefits that would provide funds within seven days. This is available to a household with less than $150 in gross monthly income, and less than $100 in cash, checking or savings in the month the application is filed. Your monthly rent or mortgage and utilities must be greater than your gross monthly income and resources.
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