SNAP Resources: New SNAP Senior Application, Updated Medical Expense Flier and more

Submitted by FoodSNAP on 11/07/2017 - 6:40pm.

We have developed some important SNAP resources for older adults for you to circulate to your community based organizations to help improve access to SNAP for older adults.

1. REVISED SNAP Application for Seniors!

We are thrilled to report that DTA has significantly revised the SNAP application form for seniors. The font is larger, the language is simpler, the key questions are better. Big thanks to DTA SNAP Policy team. MLRI and GBLS made significant recommendations to the language changes which DTA adopted.

Please download and use this version in your SNAP application assistance work: https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2018/08/27/snap_app_seniors_english... DTA has also translated this document in to multiple languages.

2. SNAP Medical Expense Filer and Benchmark's chart:

Here's a link to MLRI's revised SNAP Medical Expense flier HERE. This includes a checklist of the important and often un-reimbursed medical expenses your clients can claim, and reminds clients they can self-declare travel costs. MLRI is working on a Spanish-language translation.

Also a reminder about our SNAP Medical Expense "Benchmarks" chart, HERE. This may help you figure out when actually pursuing medical expenses will make a difference, and whether or not to ask clients for more proofs when they hit the $35 mark.

ALL of MLRI and DTA's forms and policy utterances on SNAP and medical expenses are conveniently located on our MassLegalService webpage hereÂ https://www.masslegalservices.org/content/snap-and-medical-expense-deduction

3. #SNAP Matters: 7 Facts About Food Security and Older Adults in Massachusetts

Thanks to our AmeriCorps Member Wesley Chrabaez, we've created a fact sheet to highlight important data about low income older adults, the SNAP gap for seniors and the impact of reducing health care costs for SNAP. This fact sheet may be useful in community meetings, application assistance and media messaging around the importance of SNAP for older adults. The flier is ATTACHED as a PDF.

Reminder: Next Boston SNAP Coalition is Tuesday, November 28th (last one of 2017).

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