While food stamp participation has skyrocketed in D.C., there are still many people that are eligible for the program but not receiving it. One reason why they are missing out: They simply don’t know they are eligible.
The Food Stamp Benefit Estimator – a new tool created by D.C. Hunger Solutions, Bread for the City, and D.C. Legal Aid – can help advocates and providers determine whether someone is likely to be eligible for food stamps and what their possible food stamp monthly allotment may be. The benefit estimator provides an estimate of eligibility and benefits (not an official determination of eligibility or benefit). It comes as an Excel spread sheet and can be used in as little as five minutes.
On February 25th from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., D.C. Hunger Solutions and Bread for the City are hosting a phone tutorial on the estimator. The phone tutorial will include essential information about the food stamp program and eligibility guidelines, a how-to on the estimator, and information on upcoming modifications to the estimator.
To RSVP, contact Katie Vinopal at kvinopal@dchunger.org by Tuesday, February 23rd.
Hi, I was wondering where the “New Food Stamps Benefit Estimator” is located [online]? If it can be “used in as little as five minutes” I was also wondering if I could “teach myself” rather than sit in on the call. Lastly, it would be nice to understand the “upcoming modifications” in the context of the current Estimator.
While ideally the estimator will eventually be online, it only currently exists as an excel file. We thought it better to get it out in its current state so that it could be used now, instead of waiting to develop an online tool. Since we must distribute it and since there will be “upcoming modifications” (which I will address momentarily), we want to have direct contact with those who will be using it to make sure, as best we can, that when an updated version is released, everyone gets rid of the outdated version and uses the new one. Further, since it is intended to provide information to clients, we think it is important that providers be fully informed on food stamp rules and eligibility requirements to prevent accidental misuse of the estimator or the spread of misinformation. “Upcoming modifications” was purposely vague because changes to the estimator will depend on what and how quickly IMA rolls out new food stamp eligibility rules such as categorical eligibility and heat and eat. If you can’t make the call I’d be happy to talk at a time that works better for you.