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- SNAP is Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. This program helps families stretch their food budgets to buy healthy food. It is designed to increase nutritional levels and safeguard the health and well-being of Fairfield County residents. Benefits are distributed on a “Ohio Direction Card” which can be used like a debit card at the grocery store.
- Healthy people under 60 also participate in Food Assistance Employment and Training (FAET) while receiving food assistance to help them gain work experience and move toward self-sufficiency.
- Ultimately, food assistance helps families meet their basic needs while adults work toward financial stability.
- Food Assistance (formerly known as the food stamp program) is known nationally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
- Once families have been approved for food assistance, the Ohio Direction Card (also known as the Electronic Benefit Transfer EBT card) is issued and sent to the individual or family’s address. It can be used at most grocery stores in the area.
- The card looks similar to and works like a credit or debit card. It can be used in most any food store checkout line. Check with the grocery store you go to most frequently and ask how your card will work.
- When users make eligible grocery purchases, they simply swipe the card through a reader at the register; the amount is deducted from the total monthly benefit amount. Remember that “eligible purchases” means food or food products but excludes alcohol, tobacco and hot food prepared to eat immediately, such as food at restaurants and hot food from grocery stores.
- To find out more information about the Ohio Direction Card, to check your account balance, review your transaction history, report that you are moving, or report a lost or stolen card call, 1-866-386-3071 or visit The Ohio Direction Card website.
- The State of Ohio Online Benefits portal (My Case) provides an easy way to check the status of your application or case for food, cash and medical assistance. You can also complete an interim report or reapplication and view case information, sometimes known as a “benefits printout”.
- To check the status of your food, cash and medical assistance application, or view case information, follow the link below:
- State of Ohio Online Benefits Portal
- You can also check the status of your benefits and/or request text alert notifications through the Shared Services hotline at 1-844-640-6440.
- Once a family or individual is approved for food assistance, adults of the family who are considered Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents (ABAWD) must meet the work requirement in order to continue to receive food assistance.
- An ABAWD is any individual who is:
- At least 18 years old, but not yet 53,
- Able-bodied,
- Not pregnant, and
- Not in an assistance group with a minor child.
- There are several different ways to meet the work requirement.
- Work 20 hours per week.
- Participate 20 hours per week in a job search program (for a maximum of three months).
- Participate in a work experience program. The number of hours you must complete is the amount you are receiving in food assistance, divided by minimum wage.
- Fairfield County 211: Can assist with providing a referral for an emergency food order. They can be contacted by dialing 211 or (740) 687-0500 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Community Action: Once a month a customer may request a food box by calling (740) 653-4146 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- Eligibility for food assistance is complex – based on family size, income and expenses – but both families and individuals may be eligible to receive food assistance.
You may qualify for benefits if your household’s gross monthly income is at or under 130 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Some households may qualify if they have incomes over the limit if someone in the household is elderly or disabled.
- *Your eligibility for Ohio Food Assistance benefits depends on your gross income (before taxes), your household size, shelter expenses, current assets and other factors.
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People in Household
|
Gross Monthly Income Limits
|
Maximum Amount of Food Assistance Per Month You Could Receive
|
|
1
|
$1,580
|
$291
|
|
2
|
$2,137
|
$535
|
|
3
|
$2,694
|
$766
|
|
4
|
$3,250
|
$973
|
|
5
|
$3,807
|
$1155
|
|
6
|
$4,364
|
$1386
|
- You can call 1-844-640-6446 (Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 3 p.m.) to complete an application over the phone
- Complete and submit the following application: click here or apply online
- In person at our agency during regular business hours (Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.)
- By mailing a completed application: FCJFS 239 W. Main St. Lancaster, OH 43130
- By dropping a completed application in the agency drop box located in the front of our building, open 24 hours.
- By faxing a completed application to 740-689-4848
- Identification (Drivers License or State ID)
- Proof of citizenship, or alien registration card/I-94
- Social Security Card
- Proof of all income (employment, child support, disability,
- unemployment, etc.)
- Proof of housing (rent/mortgage) costs
- Proof of utility costs
- Proof of medical costs if age 60 or older, or if disabled
- Proof of disability (if applicable)
- Additional verification may be requested or required
- You will receive a letter in the mail directing you to call us at a specified time. Please call at your specified appointment time.
- You can also now call 1-844-640-6446 during and outside normal business hours to receive a current benefit summary and to check the status of your case. You can also sign up for text message notifications regarding your benefits.
- In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religious creed, disability, age, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
- Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
- To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (833) 620-1071, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to:
1. mail:
Food and Nutrition Service, USDA
1320 Braddock Place, Room 334
Alexandria, VA 22314; or
2. fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email:
[email protected]
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
We are required to determine eligibility within 30 days of your application.
For additional information on the food assistance program please click here
For additional information on general Program Enrollment & Benefit Information please click here