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Top Ten Things You Should Know About the Food Stamp Program

1. New rules make it easier to qualify. You may be able to get food stamps now even if you could not in the past. This is especially true for working families, immigrants, people with disabilities, and people who own vehicles.
   
   
2. You can get food stamps even if you own one or more cars. Under the new rules, owning a car will not disqualify you.
   
   
3. The Food Stamp Program is a nutrition program. Food stamps can help you pay for nutritious food. Eating right will keep you and your family healthy and reduce your doctor's visits and medical bills.
   
   
4. If you get food stamps, you will have more money every month to meet your expenses. The average food stamp benefit for a household in Vermont is $178 per month. The average food stamp benefit for seniors living alone is $60 per month.
   
   
5. The food stamp electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card gives you more privacy when you shop. Vermont no longer issues food stamp coupons. Benefits come on a card that looks like a credit card. When you use your card to buy groceries, only you and the store clerk know that you used food stamp benefits.
   
   
6. If you are 65 or older, you can have your food stamp benefits deposited directly into your bank account or receive cash on a card. You can pay for your groceries using cash or a check. No one will know you are using food stamps to make your purchase.
   
   
7. There are enough food stamps for everyone. The Food Stamp Program is an entitlement program—this means everyone who qualifies for benefits gets benefits. If you get food stamps, you are not taking them away from others who need them.
   
   
8. Using food stamps is good for Vermont. When you use food stamps in Vermont, you put money into our local economy and help Vermont farmers, local grocers, and the businesses that give jobs to Vermonters.
   
   
9. You may be automatically eligible. Working families with children who get the Vermont Earned Income Tax Credit, people enrolled in Reach Up, and people receiving SSI already meet most of the eligibility requirements for food stamps. It's worth filling out an application.
   
   
10. It's easy to get an application. Call DCF (Department for Children and Families) at 1-800-287-0589 and ask for one to be sent to you. If you have questions about the application, contact DCF, your Community Action Agency, or your Agency on Aging.