Frequently Asked Questions

What can food stamp benefits be used to purchase?
Food Stamp benefits can be used to purchase:

• Foods for human consumption.
• Seeds and plants to grow food for household use.

What you cannot purchase with food stamp benefits?
Food Stamp benefits cannot be used to purchase:

• Any non-food item such as pet food; soaps, paper products, and household supplies; grooming items and cosmetics.
• Alcoholic beverages or tobacco products.
• Vitamins and medicines.
• Any food that will be eaten in the store.
• Any food marketed to be heated in the store.

Who can receive food stamp benefits?
You may be eligible to receive food stamp benefits, whether or not you work, if you have a low income.

What is the amount of food stamp benefits I will receive?
The amount of food stamp benefits a low-income person or family can receive is based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Thrifty Food Plan. The plan estimates how much it costs to provide a household with nutritious, low-cost meals. The estimates are revised every year to keep pace with changes in food prices. The average amount of food stamp benefits received per household is about $200 per month.

What is the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP)?
CFAP is a state-funded food stamp program for legal permanent non-citizens residing in the U.S., and determined ineligible for federal food stamp benefits solely due to their immigration status.

Where do I go to apply for food stamp benefits?
There are over 240 food stamp offices in California operated by local county welfare departments. Low-income people may apply for food stamps at any office located in the county where they live. To find information on your county click on the link County Welfare Departments.

The Pasadena District Office:
955 N. Lake Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91104
(626) 791-6333
Participant Help Line (626) 791-6730

If I am receiving SSI/SSP, can I also receive food stamp benefits?
If you are receiving SSI/SSP, you cannot receive food stamp benefits in California. However, your family may be eligible to receive Food Stamp benefits.

What is EBT?
Electronic Benefit Transfer, or EBT, is the distribution of food stamp benefits with a plastic debit card, making the issuance of state public assistance and federal food stamp benefits faster and easier through the use of electronic transactions. By using the EBT card, cardholders can access food benefits at the point-of-sale (POS) terminals of retailers authorized by USDA to accept food stamp benefits. In California, each county has the option of also providing clients with the ability to access cash benefits through automated teller machines (ATMs) and cash benefits at POS terminals.

The Application Process:
Food stamps application (English)
Food stamps application (Spanish)

• Download the application, complete it, and return it by fax, mail or in person.
• When your application has been turned in, the county welfare department will setup an interview to go over your application. There is a list of documents you will need to bring to your interview.
• As soon as all necessary information is provided and verified for eligibility, you will be able to receive your food stamps within 30 days of your dated application.
• You may be categorically eligible if you are receiving CalWORKs, General Assistance (GA), or General Relief (GR).
• You may qualify for expedited service and receive your food stamp benefits within three (3) days if you meet the requirements.

Interview

• A face-to-face interview is required before certifying your household to get food stamp benefits. There are some exceptions to this rule. This is normally conducted in the county welfare office or a mutually agreed upon location. The interview may be held with the head of household, spouse, the authorized representative or any other responsible household family member. A face-to-face interview is required annually.
• An eligibility worker will explain the program rules and help your household complete any parts of the application that have not yet been completed.
• After the interview, the food stamp office will send a notice. If your household does not qualify for food stamp benefits, the notice will explain why. If your household does qualify, the notice will explain how much the food stamp benefit will be for your household. It will also explain how many months you can receive food stamps (certification period) before re-applying.
• Local food stamp office officials may waive the face-to-face part of the interview requirement if traveling to the county welfare department would be a hardship for your household. The face-to-face feature must be waived if your household is composed only of elderly or disabled members with no earned income.

Documents to Bring to Interview
At the time of your interview, please bring verification with you of your income and expenses. If you cannot get all the information together by your interview date, still come for the interview because you will have additional time to provide this information. If you need assistance in obtaining this information, please discuss this with your food stamp worker at the time of the interview. The following are examples of what to bring:

• Proof of identity (driver's license, etc.), alien status.
• Social Security Numbers for all household members.
• If employed, proof of income (wage stubs, earning statements, etc.) for the past 30 days.
• Bank statements for checking accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, credit union accounts, retirement accounts, stocks, bonds, dividends, etc.
• Proof of shelter costs (rent or mortgage payment, lot rent, household, real estate, taxes, utility bills - heat, electricity, water/sewage/garbage, telephone, etc.)

Verification
The food stamp worker will also ask for proof of certain information that has been reported. The following must be verified prior to certification:

• Identification
• Immigration Status
• Sponsored Noncitizen Information
• Residency
• SSN/Application for all Household Members
• Gross Income
• Disability
• Utility Expenses
• Medical Expenses
• Child Support Obligations and Payments

An exception is for expedited service, only identification is required and other verification can be postponed. Other verification such as shelter costs, dependent care costs, household size, and liquid resources do not require verification unless questionable.

Categorical Eligibility
Households in which all members are authorized or receiving cash aid, such as CalWORKS or GA/GR, are considered categorically eligible. This means the Food Stamp Program accepts eligibility determinations made by the other program for resources, gross and net income limits, sponsored alien information, county residency, and social security number information.

Food Stamp Households containing California Food Assistance (CFAP) recipients are not categorically eligible.

Expedited Service
Households that qualify for expedited service (ES) go through the same application forms as all other clients, but not all information has to be verified before benefits are issued. Households may qualify for expedited service (ES) if they are experiencing one of the eligibility factors below:

• Less than $150 in monthly gross income and liquid resources of $100 or less; or
• Migrant or seasonal farm workers who are destitute; or
• Households that have combined monthly gross income and liquid resources which are less than their monthly rent or mortgage and utilities; or
• Homeless.

Food Stamp Benefits will be made available to the household no later than the third calendar day following the date the application was filed. Applicants are informed of and are automatically considered for expedited service at the time the application is filed.

If you need to report your card lost or stolen, please call customer service at 1 (877) 328-9677.

California Food Stamp Link: http://www.cdss.ca.gov/foodstamps/

This information is courtesy of California Department of Social Services: http://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/