We work with the Department of Human Resources (DHR) to screen and assist individuals to enroll in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Alabama. The Food Assistance Program’s purpose is to end hunger and improve nutrition by providing monthly benefits to eligible low-income households to help them buy the food they need for good health. The eligibility rules and benefit amounts, based on income and household size, are determined by regulations issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service.

The Alabama Elderly Simplified Application Project (AESAP) is designed to reinvent the Food Assistance Program application process for those households where all members are elderly (age 60 or older), and have no earned income. This project is a major outreach effort to a segment of our population facing barriers to participation in the Food Assistance Program due to the complexity of the application process and problems associated with age, such as transportation, mobility, and disability. It is designed to increase the efficiency of the Food Assistance Program and improve the delivery of food assistance benefits to eligible households by improving program administration.

Eligibility Criteria

• All household members are 60 years of age and older on the date of application.
• No earned income in the month of application.
• Income and resource limits are the same as for any other food assistance household.

Interview Procedure

• Two Page Application (Front/Back)
• Three year certification
• No face-to-face interview unless requested by the household
• Household self-declares eligibility information, unless questionable (see verification requirements below for exceptions)
• Benefits calculated the same as any other food assistance household