What Is Available on the SSI Food Stamps Program?
If you've applied for or already receive Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, you can may also be eligible for food stamp benefits. Food stamps are paid for by the federal government and disbursed by your state or local agency. You can apply for food stamps at the Social Security office in your area when you apply for SSI, and your caseworker will submit your application to the food stamp department for you.
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Income Eligibility
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Usually the gross and net monthly incomes of food stamp applicants are considered when determining program eligibility, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, if one person, or everyone, in your family receives SSI benefits, you aren't subjected to the income tests. If your income made you eligible for SSI, then you're already eligible for food stamps.
Resource Guidelines
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SSI recipients also aren't subject to the resource guidelines put forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This is because the resource guidelines for SSI are nearly identical. For example, a single person applying for SSI can have up to $2,000 in resources and a couple can have up to $3,000 in resources, according to the Social Security Administration. A food stamp applicant can have $2,000 in resources unless there is a handicapped or elderly person in the home, then the limit rises to $3,000.
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How Much
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The maximum food stamp allotment amount available for one person is $200 a month, as of 2011. For two people the amount increases to $367 a month, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Unlike SSI, where the maximum benefit amount stops at two people, food stamps increase steadily depending on the family size. A family of five can receive as much as $793 a month, and a family of eight can receive $1,202 a month. Allotments increase by $150 for each additional person beyond eight members.
Uses
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Food stamps can only be used to buy food, food-bearing plants and seeds of food-bearing plants, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Paper products, cleaning supplies, medicine, pet food, cigarettes and alcohol are ineligible and will be denied at the register if you try to purchase them with food stamps. Certain hot food items aren't eligible either, including hot meals meant to be eaten in-store and hot cooked meats and seafood.
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References
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