What Do You Need To Know?
In Illinois, the Food Stamp Program comes under the U.S. Department of Human Services (DHS). It provides healthy food choices to households and individuals with earnings that are categorized under low-income levels. Through this program, the households are educated in food preparation and the importance of healthy and nutritious food. The U.S. federal government provides all the expenses for the food stamp program through a block grant.
In Illinois, the Food Stamp Program is provided to households and individuals using the Illinois Link System. It provides electronic cards similar to an ATM card which the families and individuals can use to buy food-related products from various stores that are authorized by the government across the state.
The Illinois Food Stamp Program was established with the purpose of poverty alleviation in the state by providing nutritious food that meets the standard dietary requirements to the poor households across the state of Illinois. Food that can be bought using the Illinois Food Stamp Program are cereals, fruits, bread, dairy product, vegetable, and other such items.
The eligible households are restricted from buying certain products under the Illinois Food Stamp Program. Those are,
- Medicines
- Hot restaurant food
- Paper food
- Cleaning products
- Cosmetics
- Beverages, alcohol, and tobacco
- Instantly consumable food
Are You Eligible?
The applicant needs to meet the following requirements to be able to apply for the Illinois Food Stamp Program
- The candidate has to be a permanent resident of Illinois to be eligible for the program
- The candidate must have a US citizenship to receive the Food Stamp Program benefits.
- The candidate must have a Social Security Number (SSN)
- The candidate must have a job (if the age lies between the age of 21-59 and doesn’t have kind of disability)
- The total household bank limit should be under $2001
- If the candidate is sharing a household with a person, is a senior citizen or disabled then the current bank balance should be below $3001
The number of members in a household and total household income are also very important factors while considering a candidate for the Illinois Food Stamp program. The amount of the maximum gross income level before taxes must equate
| Size Of Household | Maximum Annual Income Level ($) |
| 1 | 16237 |
| 2 | 21983 |
| 3 | 27729 |
| 4 | 33475 |
| 5 | 39221 |
| 6 | 44967 |
| 7 | 50713 |
| 8 | 56459 |
In case, the household size is greater than 8 members, an additional amount of $5746 is considered per member. The amount of annual income level might change time to time therefore, it is a good step to contact the managing agency in your area. They will be able to provide you with the most recent and up-to-date guidelines about the program.
Pre-screening Tool
Another way to check your eligibility for the program is by using the “pre-screening tool” developed by the U.S Department of Agriculture to check if you can attain the benefits of the program. It is important to understand that the tool is neither an application to apply for the program nor does it guarantee that you will get the benefit. It simply lets you know your eligibility based on your household income level per annum. In the screening test, the applicant you will be asked to mention certain information including
- Household income
- VA and social security payments
- Utility bill
- Identification
- And other medical expenses (for older citizens) including your child support payment to take the test.
The amount of the benefit received by each household through the Illinois Food Stamp Program might vary depending on the need. More underprivileged families will receive a large amount to properly afford a sufficient diet.
Several other programs provide benefits to the families therefore; it is highly recommended that you get in touch with the other programs offered in your locality for better guidance.
How To Apply?
The application process varies from state to state, depending on the guidelines of the federal government. Usually, the process requires one person to apply on behalf of the whole family. The selected applicants go through an interview which is mostly conducted through the phone. Besides that, The application form consists of the applicants’ full information including their expenses, income level, identity, citizenship status.
You can either mail the application documents or even apply online. To apply online, kindly visit the Illinois Food Stamp Program Application website.
For Further Information
In case of further queries related to the program, kindly visit the Illinois Food Stamp Program Application for detailed information regarding the program.
To find a food stamp office near you, you may take help from the online regional office website that will guide you to the office near your locality or you can also contact the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) at +1-855-626-6632 to request an application form for the Illinois Food Stamp Program. The application will be either emailed or mailed to you. Other than that, you can also visit the official Illinois Food Stamp Program’s “Contact Us” page to get an idea about how to find an office near you.