Food Stamps, Cash Assistance

questions & answers

Question: For SNAP, etc it states "Some resources don't count." Which resources do not count? Does a large insurance settlement count as a resource? Does it count when applying for cash assistance or medical insurance?

Answer: You may want to review the United States Department of Agriculture's http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap ) website for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Arizona calls this program Nutrition Assistance as of 10/1/2008. The “Eligibility” section on this site states the following regarding resources counted as income: “Households may have $2,000 in countable resources, such as a bank account, or $3250 in countable resources if at least one person is age 60 or older, or is disabled. However, certain resources are NOT counted, such as a home and lot, the resources of people who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the resources of people who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, formerly AFDC), and most retirement (pension) plans.” Large insurance settlements may disqualify individuals from SNAP, but it will vary based on the amounts. To contact the state agency for specific questions as they relate to your financial situation, please call 1-800-352-8401 or call the national number 1-800-221-5689.