Massachusetts Department Of Transitional Assistance Food Stamp Benefits Application printable pdf download

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Department of Transitional Assistance

FOOD STAMP BENEFITS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY APPLY TODAY---

IT’S EASIER THAN YOU THINK

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for food stamp benefits, please fill out the attached application and return it to us. We must

accept your application if, at a minimum, it contains your name, address (if you have one), and your

signature. This information will establish your application filing date. However, the application must be

completed and we must interview you for us to determine your eligibility. You should mail, fax or take the

application to the Department of Transitional Assistance Office that serves your city or town. If you are

not sure where the office is located, please call 1-800-249-2007 or visit our website at

dta. If you are eligible, your food stamp benefits will start as of the date we receive your application. After

we get your application we will contact you for an interview and ask you a few more questions. This

interview will take place either in the office where you returned your application or over the telephone. If

you need an interpreter to help you complete this form or for the interview, tell us and we will arrange for

one.

Please try to answer all the questions on the application. The more information we have, the quicker we

will be able to act on your application. If you aren’t sure what a question means or how to answer it,

leave it blank and we will talk about it during your interview.

On the other side of this page, we list the types of things you will need to show us to prove the informa-

tion you have provided. Please look at the list and get together the proofs you will need.

USING FOOD STAMP BENEFITS

When you get food stamp benefits, you will be given an account, like a bank account. Each month, your

food stamp benefits will be put into your account. To use your food stamp benefits, you will get an EBT

card which you will use like an ATM or credit card. Your privacy is important and using the EBT card

helps maintain that privacy. You can use your EBT card at grocery stores, convenience stores, markets

and co-ops. You use it in the same way someone would buy food with an ATM or credit card.

IF YOU NEED FOOD STAMP BENEFITS RIGHT AWAY (WITHIN SEVEN DAYS) AND:

• your income and money in the bank add up to less than your monthly housing expense; or

• your monthly income is less than $150 and your money in the bank is $100 or less; or

• you are a migrant worker and your money in the bank is less than $100,

you should call us at 1-800-249-2007 or go to the office that serves your city or town.

Remember---food stamp benefits can help you and your family buy the food you need for good

health. You can use money you would have spent on food on other important things like rent or

utility bills. It doesn’t take that long---you owe it to yourself to apply today.

If you have any questions, please call 1-800-249-2007. You can also get more information about

food stamp benefits by visiting on the Internet.

Massachusetts Department Of Transitional Assistance Food Stamp Benefits Application