What You Need To Know?
In Alaska, the Food Stamp Program comes under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). 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. The state of Alaska contributes towards half of the program’s expenses through the state’s funding.
The Alaska Food Stamp benefits are given to the beneficiaries by the Division of Public Assistance. In Alaska, the division issues a Quest card to the households which is similar to an ATM card. Families and individuals can use the Alaska Quest cards to buy food-related products from various stores that are authorized by the government across the state.
The purpose of the Alaska Food Stamp program was established for poverty alleviation in the state by providing nutritious food that meets the standard dietary requirements to poor households across the state of Alaska.
Benefits
The eligible households are exempted from buying certain products using the Alaska stamp benefits program like
- Medicines
- Hot restaurant food
- Paper food
- Cleaning products
- Cosmetics
- Beverages, alcohol, and tobacco
- Instantly consumable food
Food that can be bought using the Alaska Food Stamp benefits are cereals, fruits, bread, dairy products, vegetables, and other such items. Other than that in some areas of Alaska, the eligible candidate may be allowed to buy hunting and fishing items using the Quest card provided by the program.
Are You Eligible?
The applicant needs to meet the following requirements to be able to apply for the Alaska Food Stamp program
- The candidate has to be a permanent resident of the Alaska state to be eligible for the Alaska Food Stamp program
- The candidate must have 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 assets limit should be under $2001
- If the candidate is sharing a household with a person, is a senior citizen, or is disabled then the current basset limit should be below $3250
The number of members in a household and total household income are also very important factors when considering a candidate for the Alaska Food Stamp program. The amount of the maximum gross income level before taxes must equate.
Size Of Household | Maximum Annual Income Level ($) |
1 | $48,270 |
2 | $65,310 |
3 | $82,350 |
4 | $99,390 |
5 | $116,430 |
6 | $133,470 |
7 | $150,510 |
8 | $167,550 |
In case, the household size is greater than 8 members, an additional amount of $10,231 is considered per member. The amount of annual income level might change from 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.
How To Apply?
After checking the Alaska Food Stamp Program requirement, the next step is the application process. There are many ways to fill the application process to submit the application process to the Division of Public Assistance which is responsible for administrating the Food Stamp program in Alaska.
The application form can be accessed through an online portal on the official page of the Alaska Division of Public Assistance. You can fill out the application after creating an online account on the official website. Before filling out the application form make sure you have all the required information to speed up the process. Once you have filled out the application form you can return it to the food stamp office either by
- Fax
- In-person
In case, you wish to return the application form in person, you will have to locate a nearby Food Stamp office in your area. You can find information related to the location of a local Food Division Office by using the Public Assistance Offices page.
For Further Information?
In case you have other queries please call 907-465-3347. If you wish to learn more about the Alaska Food Stamp program you can visit the Alaska Food Stamp Program page.
The Public Assistance office will ensure you are provided with up-to-date information regarding the program to make the application process less daunting. You can choose any of the above options to get the application form and apply either in person or online however you feel comfortable.
