Washington Basic Food Program
General Eligibility Rules
sources to see if you qualify for Basic Food.
Some income will not be counted, such as:
NOTE: Food Stamps and the Food
Assistance Program are known as
Washington Basic Food Program or Basic
Food.
Households: Basic Food is granted to
“households.” A household may be a
person who lives alone or a group of people
living together who buy food and/or
prepare meals together. You do not have to
be related. A household does not have to
have a home, a stove, hotplate, or other
cooking facilities.
•
income of a student through age 17
•
Earned Income Tax Credit payments
•
energy assistance payments
•
bona fide loans
•
most types of student financial aid
If your countable income is within the
guidelines allowed, DSHS will deduct some
of your expenses from your income to
determine how much Basic Food you will
get. Deductions can include:
Citizenship/Alien Status for Basic
Food: To get Basic Food, you must be
either
•
a standard deduction for each
household,
•
a U.S. Citizen
•
•
a portion of shelter costs,
a U.S. national or
•
•
certain medical expenses,
A “lawfully present” non-citizen. Our
publication called Washington Public
assistance for “Lawfully Present”
Non-Citizens has more information
on who that term applies to.
•
legally obligated child care
payments,
•
a portion of dependent care costs,
•
a 20% deduction from gross earned
income
Social Security Number: To get Basic
Food, you must show you either have a
Social Security number or have applied for
one. When you apply for a number at the
Social Security Administration, that office
will give you a receipt to show DSHS that
you have applied. DSHS will not deny or
delay giving you Basic Food while you are
waiting for your social security number to
be issued.
Resources: Resources are things you
own such as money in the bank, vehicles, or
real property. For DSHS to count the value
of a resource, you must have title to it or be
legally able to sell it for cash.
DSHS counts some resources, but not
others. Examples of resources DSHS will not
count:
Income: DSHS will look at your
household’s total monthly income from all
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•
the home you live in and its
surrounding property
•
personal items
•
household good
•
caring for an incapacitated person,
•
Earned Income Tax Credits
•
participating in WorkFirst,
•
participating in a drug or alcohol
treatment and rehabilitation.
Examples of resources DSHS will count:
•
insurance settlements
•
refunds of damage deposits
•
income tax refunds (but not EITC).
DSHS will determine if you are exempt.
Eligibility Period: If DSHS decides you
are eligible for Basic Food, you will get food
assistance for a set number of months at a
time known as a certification period. You
can be recertified for additional months if
you stay eligible. You will get an Electronic
Benefits Card (EBT) to buy food.
DSHS will exclude the value of your vehicles
altogether if you use it to transport a
physically disabled person, or as a home.
For other vehicles, DSHS counts the higher
of fair market value (what you can sell for
it) or equity value (fair market less what
you still owe on it) over $5,0000. DSHS will
not count vehicles worth less than $5,000
at all.
You should immediately report any changes
in
For your household to be eligible for Basic
Food, all of your countable resources
together can be worth $3,250 if your
household has a person disabled or age 60
or over. All other households can have up
to $2,000 in countable resources.
•
age 18 through 49 and
•
without dependents
age 16 through 59 and
•
you have dependents.
physically or mentally unable to
work,
•
caring for a dependent child under 6
•
household members
•
by writing to the Office of
Administrative Hearings (OAH) at
P.O. Box 42489, Olympia, WA 98504
or
•
by calling OAH at (360) 664-8717 or
1-800-583-8271 or
•
by making a request at your local
DSHS office.
Our publication called Representing
Yourself at a Fair Hearing has more
information about the fair hearing process.
You might be exempt from work and
employment and training activities if you
are:
•
resources
are denied or cut off, you may ask for a fair
hearing:
or if you are
•
•
Fair Hearings: If your Basic Food benefits
for Basic Food, you will probably have to
register for work. You may also have to take
part in employment and training activities.
You will have to do this if you are
An able-bodied adult,
income
If DSHS determines you are ineligible for
Basic Food, you can reapply in a later
month when the reason you were denied
has changed.
Work Requirements: When you apply
•
•
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What if I need Legal Help?
•
Apply online with CLEAR*Online http://nwjustice.org/clear-online
or
•
Call CLEAR at 1-888-201-1014
•
King County: Call 211 for
information and referral to a legal
services provider Monday through
Friday from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm. Or
call (206) 461-3200, or the toll-free
number1-877-211-WASH (9274).
211 works with a language line to
provide free interpreters as needed.
If you are deaf or hard of hearing,
call 1-800-833-6384 or 711. You will
be connected to a relay operator at
no cost, who will then connect you
with 211. You may also find
information on King County legal
service providers on 211’s website:
www.resourcehouse.com/win211/.
•
If you are age 60 or Over: Call
CLEAR*Sr. at 1-888-387-7111,
regardless of your income.
CLEAR is Washington’s toll-free, statewide
intake, advice and referral service for lowincome people looking for free legal help
with civil legal problems.
•
Outside King County: Call 1-888201-1014 weekdays from 9:10 a.m.
until 12:25 p.m. CLEAR works with a
language line to provide free
interpreters as needed. If you are
deaf or hard of hearing, call 1-888201-1014 using your preferred TTY
or Video relay service.
7303EN
This publication provides general information concerning your rights and
responsibilities. It is not intended as a substitute for specific legal advice.
This information is current as of the date of its printing, February 2012.
© 2012 Northwest Justice Project — 1-888-201-1014
(Permission for copying and distribution granted to Washington State Alliance for Equal Justice and to individuals
for non-commercial purposes only.)
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