• CITY OF LOS SANTOS | Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

1. Program Overview VIEW INFORMATION
2. Eligibility VIEW INFORMATION
3. Using Your SNAP Benefits VIEW INFORMATION
4. Other Food Programs VIEW INFORMATION[/color]

• CITY OF LOS SANTOS | Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

SPACER

• Get money to buy food
  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) gives people in Connecticut help to buy food. It used to be called “food stamps.” SNAP benefits include:
  • Monthly money on a debit-like EBT card to buy food.
  • Free education and job training through SNAP.
  • Get $2 for every $1 when you spend your SNAP money at certain Farmer’s Markets and Farm Stands located in Blueberry Acres.
  • Free budget-friendly and healthy recipes and nutrition tips.
  
  
  How Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program works.
  • Apply for program.
    Fill out the application form online, by mail, or in-person
  • Wait to be asked for more documents or called for an interview.
    We will see if we need more information to know if you are eligible for SNAP
  • Get an answer in 7 days or less.
    We will mail you a letter with the result
  • Start buying food.
    If you’re approved, you will get an EBT card in the mail that gets money added each month.
  
  
  If you have little or no money right now
  • We will process your application as an emergency and respond within 3 days.
  • We will give you SNAP benefits for 1-2 months as soon as we can.
  • We still need the rest of your documents and may interview you, so that you can keep getting SNAP benefits.
  You will get emergency processing if your household
  • Makes less than $150 a month and has less than $100 in the bank.
  • Has combined rent/mortgage and utility bills that are more than your total income and assets before taxes.
  • Are migrant or seasonal farmworkers living in Los Santos County.
  What you can buy with your Electronic Benefits Transaction (EBT) card
  
  You can buy groceries, such as:
  • Fruits and vegetables;
  • Meat, poultry, fish;
  • Dairy products;
  • Breads and cereals;
  • Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages;
  • Seeds and plants, to grow food to eat.
  
  
  
  You can’t buy:
  • Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco;
  • Vitamins, medicines, and supplements. If an item has a Supplement Facts label, it is considered a supplement and is not eligible for SNAP purchase;
  • Live animals; (except shellfish, fish removed from water, and animals slaughtered prior to pick-up from the store)
  • Foods that are hot when sold;
  • Any nonfood items such as:
    -Pet foods.
    -Cleaning supplies, paper products, and other household supplies.
    -Hygiene items, cosmetics

• CITY OF LOS SANTOS | Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

SPACER


You can get SNAP benefits depending on the amount of money you and your household make each month. Check if you could get SNAP benefits in the chart below or fill out our quick screener.
If someone in your household is 60 years old or older, or has a disability, you can make a little more money than it says in the chart below and still get SNAP.
You do not have to be a U.S. citizen to get SNAP. Getting SNAP does not impact your or your kid’s immigration status.


What counts as income?

• Your income is all the money you make. That includes money from working, cash assistance, Social Security, unemployment, and child support.

For SNAP, we look at your “gross income:” all the money you make before any taxes or expenses.


Who is in a SNAP household?

• Your household includes anyone you buy and cook most of your meals with.

If you live with your spouse or your child(ren) under 21, they are always part of your household..

People in your household	Maximum monthly income	Each month, you could get up to
1	$2,342	$154
2	$2,435	$199
3	$3,467	$244
4	$3,956	$338
5	$4,688	$432
6	$5,432	$689
7	$5,992	$898
8	$6,122	$1004
Each additional person	$512	$744

• This is the most SNAP benefits someone could get. The amount you get depends on the money you make and your expenses. After you apply, we will look at your situation to figure out if you can get SNAP benefits. We will also calculate how much money you would get on your EBT card each month.
• The amount of money you can make and still get SNAP is set by the federal government. This is the official guidance as of March 14, 2025.

• CITY OF LOS SANTOS | Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

SPACER




About your EBT card

• If this is your first EBT card, we’ll mail your card within 30 days after you apply. If you qualify for emergency processing, you will get your card within 7 days.
  -If you already have an EBT card, we’ll add SNAP money to that one unless you need a new card.
• If you are approved, you will get a letter saying when we will add SNAP money to your card every month.
• Keep using your EBT card:
  - You do not need to spend all your SNAP money each month. Your balance will carry over to the following month(s).
  - There is no limit to the number of times you can use your EBT card each month, as long as there is still money on the card.
  - If you don’t use it for 9 months or more, you will lose the SNAP money on your card.
  
  Activating your EBT card
  • Call 1-800-STATE - the phone number on the back of the card.
  • Select 1 for English or 2 for Spanish.
  • Enter the 18-digit card number on the front of the card.
  • Enter the Date of Birth of the person whose name is on the front of the card using 2-digit for month, 2-digit for day, and 4-digit for year.
  • Example: October 3, 1998 = 10031998
  • Enter the last four digits of their Social Security Number (SSN) of the person whose name is on the front of the card.
  • If the person whose name is on the front of the card does not have an (SSN), enter four zeroes (0000) in place of the SSN.
  • Select a 4-digit PIN.
  • You will need to enter the 4-digit PIN two times.
  To use your EBT card, you must enter your 4-digit PIN into the store card reader.

Protecting your EBT Card and PIN


Taking Care of Your EBT Card

• Keep your card in a safe place when you are not using it.
• Never write your PIN on your card.
• Do not damage or bend your card.
• Do not write on or scratch the black stripe on the back of your card.
• Do not put your card near magnets, TVs, stereos, VCRs, or even the magnetic clasp on a purse.

Protecting Your PIN
PIN stands for Personal Identification Number. Your PIN is your electronic signature. It is like a key; it gives you access to your benefits.

• Keep your PIN a secret.
• Never write your PIN on your card.
• Never let anyone see you enter your PIN at the store.
• Never give anyone your card or PIN. If a person has your card and knows your PIN, they can spend all of your SNAP money.
• If someone else steals your PIN and physical card, your SNAP money cannot be replaced.

Replacing your EBT card
If your EBT card is lost, stolen or damaged, there are 3 ways you can get a new one.


Choose one of the steps below:

• Call the LS DSS Benefit Center at 1-800-STATE
• Contact EBT customer service 1-800-STATE
• Visit any of the local LS SS Customer Center - Los Santos City Hall 1854 Hill Street Commerce, Los Santos 206.
  
  When you ask for a new EBT card, it deactivates your old card so that no one else can use it.
  
  You will need to select a new PIN for your new EBT card.
  
  If SNAP money is taken from a lost or stolen card, we can replace the card, but not the SNAP money. If any SNAP money is left on your old EBT card, it will automatically transfer to your new EBT card.
  
  We can replace SNAP money that was stolen electronically, due to card cloning or skimming.

When your SNAP money will be available


SNAP money gets added to your EBT card on the same day every month.

Based on the first initial of your last name, you will receive your benefit(s) on the following dates: If you are currently receiving cash from us by check or direct deposit, you may continue to do so. SNAP money can only be accessed using the EBT card.

What happens if I misuse my EBT card


It is a crime to defraud the system or to sell your card and PIN to others. Repeated loss and replacement of your card may result in a special investigation of your case.

Misuse or abuse of your card will result in investigation by State and/or Federal authorities. Documented violations will result in negative actions including:

• Removal from the program.
• Taking back money you owe by reducing your monthly SNAP money or you paying us back.
• And/or referral for criminal action.

• CITY OF LOS SANTOS | Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

SPACER



Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)

• If you are at least 60 years of age, CSFP may help you with a monthly food package. CSFP is a federal program designed to help seniors with low-income access healthy food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Eligible seniors can pick up one food package a month at a participating location.

Child Nutrition Programs
Department of Social Services provides healthy food programs through grants funded by the USDA. The Child Nutrition Programs include the:

• Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
  CACFP gives healthy meals and snacks to eligible children and adults in participating day care centers, family day care homes, afterschool programs, adult day cares, and emergency shelters.
• Summer Meals Program
  All kids 18 years old and younger can eat healthy meals at no cost throughout the summer.
• School Nutrition Programs
  School Nutrition Programs provide healthy meals to students in public schools, nonprofit private schools, and residential child care institutions. The Department of Social Services (DSS) offers low-cost or free lunches at school, along with:
  - School Breakfast Program (SBP): Provides breakfast at school.
  - Afterschool Snack Program (ASP): Offers snacks at afterschool programs.
  - Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP): Supplies fresh produce for snacks at elementary schools.
  - Special Milk Program (SMP): Provides milk to schools not participating in NSLP.
  - Seamless Summer Option (SSO): Offers free meals during the summer.