How Are Food Stamps Determined for the Military?
In 2008, military families spent $31 million in food stamps in military commissaries, according to the Defense Commissary Agency. It marked a 25 percent increase over the previous year when the country at large saw only a 13 percent increase. With the need for financial help growing among military families, those families need to know how to access benefits that can help them financially while they are serving their country.
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Eligibility
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As a general eligibility rule, people receiving food stamps need to have a Social Security number and be a U.S. citizen. Also lawful permanent residents can receive food stamps if they have a military connection. The Social Security Administration lists the connections as "Hmong or Highland Laotian tribes that helped the U.S. military during the Vietnam era, veterans, active duty, or a spouse or a child of a veteran or active duty service member." Military personnel already meet the work requirement because they are members of the military.
Financial Resources
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The big deciding factor about food stamps is financial need. A household cannot have more than $2,000 in resources. Resources are considered things that you own with some exceptions. The exceptions can vary somewhat between states, but won't include a house or at least part of the value of your vehicle. The limit increases to $3,000 if you have an elderly person in your household. A family must also meet an income limit, which can vary from state to state.
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How Military Qualify
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If your household is eligible, then monthly income is compared against your necessary monthly expenses. For military families, the government doesn't look at the value of your government-provided housing when determining eligibility. The combination of large families in government housing allows for many military families to qualify for food stamps, according to Military.com. Another thing that helps military families qualify for food stamps is that any additional pay received because a serviceman is deployed in a combat zone is not considered when calculating household income.
Family Supplemental Subsistence Allowance
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The Family Supplemental Subsistence Allowance was created in 2001 in response to the increasing number of military families receiving food stamps. The program increases a serviceman or woman's pay to be 130 percent of the federal poverty level for the area where they are stationed. Military families can receive up to $500 a month through the program, depending on where they are stationed, their monthly income and the size of their families. The benefit is also tax-free. If the family is already receiving food stamps, the benefit amount will be the higher of the Family Supplemental Subsistence Allowance or the food stamp value. Participants need to recertify every February for the program.
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