What You Need To Know
The Maine SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) was established with the purpose of poverty alleviation in Maine. The program provides nutritious food that meets the standard dietary requirements to the poor households. In this way, the program helps to improve the health conditions of individuals and families from underprivileged backgrounds. The state department that is responsible for administrating the SNAP program is the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
The selected candidates then receive an electronic card referred to as Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) which they can use to purchase food items from the government-approved food stores.
What Are The Program Objectives?
The main purpose of the Maine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is to provide the underprivileged families living on a fixed budget with an opportunity to improve their food quality. It helps them add valuable nutrition in their food by purchasing food that is healthy and nutritious. This leads them to live a healthy and self- sustaining lifestyle subsequently increasing the quality of lifestyle of people in the country.
What food items you can buy?
Food items that can be bought using the Maine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are,
- Cereals
- Fruits
- Bread
- Dairy product
- Vegetable and other such items
What food items are forbidden?
The eligible households are forbidden to buy certain products using the including,
- Medicines
- Hot restaurant food
- Paper food
- Cleaning products
- Cosmetics
- Beverages, alcohol, and tobacco
- Instantly consumable food
Are You Eligible?
Only eligible applicants can avail the benefits of the Maine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the eligibility requirements are:
- The candidate should be a permanent resident of Maine state
- The candidate must have a US citizenship or legal alien to receive the SNAP benefits
- The candidate must have a current bank balance(saving and checks combined) under
Other important requirements are
- They must have a current bank balance under $2,001
- They must have a current bank balance under $3,001 and share the household with either
- A person aged 60 and above, or
- A person with a disability.
The number of members in a household and total household income are also very important factors while considering a candidate for the Maine Food Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The amount of the maximum gross income level before taxes must be less than or equal to
| Size Of Household | Maximum Annual Income Level ($) |
| 1 | 23107 |
| 2 | 31284 |
| 3 | 39461 |
| 4 | 47638 |
| 5 | 55815 |
| 6 | 63992 |
| 7 | 72169 |
| 8 | 80346 |
An additional amount of $8177 will be added per additional person if the size of the household exceeds more than 8 people. Also, it’s important to stay in touch with a proper managing agency in your locality to receive accurate guidelines and information about the program’s future policies.
You can also visit the official Maine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) website to check the eligibility criteria of the program. The applicant will have to provide information regarding their
- Earnings
- Rent or mortgage
- Utility expenses
- Child support expenses
- Day-care expenses
- Medical bills, if you are older than 60, or disabled
- Other benefit programs you have applied to
- Any other payments
The eligibility criteria may also vary from family to family. A household with assets worth up to $2000 and $3000 (in case there is a member who is 60 years old or older than that). Some households who are getting assistance in different forms like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) might get selected even if they don’t match the income eligibility requirements.
How To Apply?
Application for this program is present on the online portal of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). This makes the accessibility of the application process easier for people. They can simply apply from the comfort of their homes. They will simply be expected to enter all the necessary information into the application. Its accessibility makes it the fastest way to receive the program’s benefits. To download the application form, you can visit the following website,
Maine.gov Food Supplement Program
Maine agencies consider the receiving date of the completed application as the official data. The working days in this regard is considered rather than the weekend or holidays. The time duration for acceptance or rejection of the application can range from 7 to 30 days. In case of selection, you can be notified within 30 days. It depends on the financial situation as well as other factors involved in the application.
Once you fill out the application form you can return it to your local DHHS office via mail or fax. If you are interested in submitting the application form in person you can visit the nearby SNAP office. Use the Maine.gov District Office Locations in Maine link to locate a DHHS office in your county.
For Further Information
In case of queries or any extra data required, information related to the Maine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is available on the Maine.gov website. There is more than one way so that the person can adopt the method they feel most comfortable with.