Food & Income Security

Headline:

SNAP benefits are now available to immigrants with legal status who meet income requirements. These benefits will be retroactive to December 4, 2023 are currently funded through June 2024. Mixed status families who have a household member current receiving SNAP benefits should automatically receive additional benefits for newly eligible household members. 

Last-reviewed: 12pm, Mar. 8, 2024

Key Resources:

• Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA)
• Women Infants & Children Nutrition Program (WIC)
• Project Bread
• Filing Taxes (Mass.gov)

The Basics

• Care teams can share updates and changes to SNAP application and processes with SNAP applicants and households.

The Breakdown

Navigating the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA)

• DTA Decision Notices will now be available in Chinese (Simplified), Haitian Creole, Portuguese (Brazilian) and Vietnamese in addition to English and Spanish.
• The 2024 SNAP Advocacy Guide for advocates is now here.
• Many SNAP recipients have reported difficulties in reaching help through the DTA Assistance Line. Strategies to help patients reach a SNAP worker can be found here. 
• A small number of Massachusetts households who receive SNAP may be selected by “Quality Control” for a case review. The review are done to determine that households are receiving the correct benefits and to verify that decisions to deny or terminate a household from SNAP was correct. Households selected are required to participate. More information can be found here. 
• DTA continues to warn clients about “phishing” scams. These scams attempt to obtain client information by texting clients that they need to provide their information and posing as a DTA website to capture information. Care teams can remind participants that DTA will never ask for their EBT card number online. Households whose benefits have been stolen can report fraud to DTA. For more information on how to protect their benefits, including how to re-pin their EBT card, clients can visit mass.gov/ProtectYourEBT (available in 10 different languages)
• DTA offices have Domestic Violence Specialists to help survivors access DTA benefits and services. People can call the DTA Assistance Line at 877-382-2363 and select #2 to be connected with a Domestic Violence Specialist. Learn more from this DTA video.
• Each DTA office has at least one Client Assistance Coordinator to help people with disabilities access DTA benefits and services, including accommodations. Find more information on this brochure.
• DTA lobbies are open for limited services (e.g., getting an EBT card, using a kiosk to use DTA Connect, SNAP Path to Work, SNAP Nutrition Education and other DTA web services). Additional services can be accessed by calling DTA at 877-382-2363 or visiting the DTA Connect website.
• Cash assistance (TAFDC and EAEDC) applicants can request an interpreter if they feel most comfortable speaking in a language other than English. DTAConnect.com and EBT outreach flyers are also available in 6 languages (Chinese, English, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese).

Food Security

• SNAP benefits are now available to immigrants with legal status who meet income requirements in February 2024. The benefits are retroactive through December 2023. People who applied since December and received an initial denial notice will have their applications approved. Immigrant families who receive SNAP benefits for their citizen or eligible immigrant dependents do not need to apply for the additional benefits as DTA will increase the household’s benefits if the immigrant is eligible for SNAP under the new program. More information can be found here. 
• Based on changes to the federal poverty level, the gross income test to determine SNAP benefits has changed. An updated worksheet with current SNAP formulas can be found here.
• A new summer grocery benefit, Summer EBT, will launch in Summer 2024. This program will provide $120 per eligible child for the summer to buy food at grocery stores, farmers markets and other retailers. More information can be found here.
• DTA recently launched Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) which allows eligible households to buy meals at certain restaurants. Eligible households include those who are homeless, 60+, or getting a disability benefit. More information, including participating vendors, can be found here.
• SNAP Cost of Living Adjustments went into effect on October 1, 2023. SNAP households can use the updated SNAP Calculator to estimate the amount of their benefits.
• SNAP households who lost food due to household misfortune can complete a SNAP 9B form to replace up to one month of SNAP benefits. More information here.
• If a person’s SNAP benefits were stolen electronically, they may be eligible for reimbursement. More information here.
• SNAP applicants are required to participate in an interview with a DTA employee within 30 days of the date of their application. Applicants may request the interview in person or by phone.
• DTA continues to require an Interim Report at 6 months and a Recertification form at 12 months for certain households (to report income). SNAP households who receive recertification paperwork should complete the same otherwise their SNAP will end. These forms can be completed over the phone, on DTAConnect, or by returning the paper form by mail/fax/in-person.
• Claiming medical expenses can boost SNAP benefits! Eligible SNAP households can self-declare the Standard Medical Expense deduction at any time over the phone or in writing to DTA. The $155 deduction is limited to people ages 60+ and those with a verified disability if their average out-of-pocket medical costs exceed $35/month. Call the DTA Senior Assistance Office at 833-712-8027 for more information. See SNAP Medical Expense Deduction Chart for more information.
• Massachusetts residents can now apply for SNAP benefits when seeking subsidized healthcare coverage through a MassHealthConnector application by clicking the SNAP checkbox on the application. Approximately 700,000 residents are within the “SNAP Gap,” meaning that they receive MassHealth coverage but are not receiving SNAP benefits.
• DTA must take away any benefits that have remained unused on a SNAP EBT and P-EBT account for 9 months (274 days). There is no way to get benefits back once they have been taken away. DTA will send a notice 30 days prior to expunging any benefits from your card.
• Applicants for SNAP benefits can ask to pick up their EBT card at a local office, instead of waiting for it to be mailed. DTA can mail EBT cards overnight in emergency situations like when an applicant is experiencing interpersonal violence (IPV) or homelessness.

Nutrition and Project Bread

• School Meals for All is now permanent for MA students enrolled in schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. More information here.
• Find nutrition resources by zip code and free, confidential assistance in accessing federal nutrition programs through the FoodSource Hotline at 800-645-8333 or Project Bread.
• Meals on Wheels provides nutritional support to homebound seniors. Find a local nutrition program site.
• People can find updated dietary guidelines, shopping guides, and recipes at myplate.gov.

WIC

• WIC offices are closed to the public. All services are available by phone at 800-942-1007 or people can apply online.

The Bottom Line

• Sharing reliable, up-to-date information about the changing resource landscape with families is key to reducing hunger and increasing food security.

Financial Assistance

The Basics

• Direct care staff and supervisors at programs license by the Department of Early Education and Care may be eligible to have student loans forgiven through the MA Repay Program. More information can be found here.
• The Cost of Living Adjustment increased to 3.2% for 2024. SSI benefit rates, Substantial Gainful Activity threshold, and Trial Work threshold will all increase.
• The Child and Family Tax Credit for 2023 is $310. This will permanently increase to $440 in 2024. More information and tax assistance can be found here.
• TAFDC benefits increased in September 2023. The annual TAFDC clothing allowance for children receiving TAFDC will now be $450. More information here.
• Many Social Security offices are open for walk-in service. Check the status of a local office on the SSA website. Due to long in-person wait times, the SSA advises people to complete services online or by calling a local office whenever possible. 

The Breakdown

• Some taxpayers may qualify for free preparation assistance through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), and AARP programs. Find locations on the IRS website. They may also qualify for free e-filing. Find more information on the mass.gov website.
• DTA is restarting TAFDC Learnfare requirement mandates that any child 6-15 years old who receives TAFDC must attend school regularly. To comply with Learnfare rules, a child may not have more than 8 unexcused absences each quarter. Find more information here, including reasons why an absence may be considered excused.
• Older adults and people with disabilities who receive SNAP benefits and have medical expenses greater than $35 and less than or equal to $190 per month are eligible for a $155 Standard Medical Deduction. Learn more in the guidance here, in this DTA Online Guide Transmittal 2022-49 or by calling the DTA Senior Assistance Office at 833-712-8027.
• If cash assistance applications are delayed due to a DTA error (e.g., a paperwork processing delay), applicants have a right to receive a retroactive payment. The retroactive payment should cover any missed benefits dating back to the date they applied.  
• Free., a program offering menstrual hygiene products, is working to end period poverty in Massachusetts. The program has distributed more than 261,844 products to individuals and through partner agencies. Find Free. products here.

The Bottom Line

• Sharing reliable, up-to-date information about the changing resource landscape with families is key to optimizing household income.