SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)

Apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to help buy healthy food for you and your family when money is tight.

SNAP issues electronic benefits that can be used like cash to purchase food. SNAP helps low-income working people, senior citizens, the disabled and others feed their families.

Protect Your Benefits
Learn how to freeze your EBT card when it’s not in use

Apply or Recertify

Online

Applying for SNAP has become easier with our new electronic application. Now you can apply for the SNAP program from the convenience of your own home, your local library, or anywhere with a computer or smartphone.

Step 1.Check Eligibility

Review the program eligibility guidelines to see if your family qualifies for SNAP. You can also take the prescreening quiz at mybenefits.ny.gov to see if you qualify for SNAP and any other state benefits.

Step 2.Gather Documents

You will need to collect the following information and documentation to submit with your SNAP application:

  • Photo ID and/or citizenship status
  • Recent pay stubs, and income sources for all members of your household
  • Social Security card or proof of SSN application
  • List of household resources (bank accounts, retirement accounts, vehicles)
  • Medical documentation if needed
  • Current property tax bill or Mortgage statement
  • If you own your home: current property tax bill and homeowner's insurance bill
  • If you pay for heat: utility company name and your account number

Step 3.Apply

Apply online at mybenefits.ny.gov. You have the choice of logging in or creating a ny.gov account, or applying with a guest account.

Step 4.Submit Documents

If you have any required documents that you did not include when applying, you can submit them online.

NYDocSubmit is a mobile application that allows you take pictures of your documents and submit them to the Ulster County Department of Social Services using your Apple iOS or Android Device. There is no need for you to take time off from work, stand in line or travel to the district office to drop off documents.

Android Download

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Step 5.Phone Interview

Once we have received and processed your application and documentation, you will be contacted for an interview. Most interviews are by phone (you can request a face to face interview).

Step 6.EBT Card Issued

If your application is accepted, you will be issued an EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card. Your EBT card allows you to buy groceries and other items with your cash benefits at participating stores and other locations.

Learn more about using your EBT card

In Person/By Mail

Step 1.Check Eligibility

Review the program eligibility guidelines to see if your family qualifies for SNAP. You can also take a quiz at mybenefits.ny.gov to see if you qualify for SNAP and any other state benefits.

Step 2.Gather Documents

You will need to collect the following information and documentation to submit with your SNAP application:

  • Photo ID and/or citizenship status
  • Recent pay stubs, and income sources for all members of your household
  • Social Security card or proof of SSN application
  • List of household resources (bank accounts, retirement accounts, vehicles)
  • Medical documentation if needed
  • Current property tax bill or Mortgage statement
  • If you own your home: current property tax bill and homeowner's insurance bill
  • If you pay for heat: utility company name and your account number

Step 3.Complete Application

Visit our office to complete an application and submit your documents. Our staff will be able to assist you and answer any questions you might have.

If you prefer, you can download an application and then mail or fax it to our office:

Ulster County Department of Social Services-SNAP
1051 Development Court
Kingston, NY 12401

Fax: (845) 334-5226

Be sure to include copies of all required documentation!

Step 4.Phone Interview

Once we have received and processed your application and documentation, you will be contacted for an interview. Most interviews are by phone (you can request a face to face interview).

Step 5.EBT Card Issued

If your application is accepted, you will be issued an EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card. Your EBT card allows you to buy groceries and other items with your cash benefits at participating stores and other locations.

Learn more about using your EBT card

 

Declaración de No Discriminación (ny.gov) 

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religious creed, disability, age, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form from any USDA office, by calling (833) 620-1071, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to:

Mail:
Food and Nutrition Service, USDA
1320 Braddock Place, Room 334
Alexandria, VA 22314

Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442

Email: FNSCivilRightsComplaints@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

New York State law additionally prohibits discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex, disability, marital status, or status as a victim of domestic violence.

Applying for or receiving SNAP benefits does not make you a public charge and will not be considered in a public charge determination. Applying for or receiving SNAP will not affect your ability to:

  • Remain in the U.S.,
  • Get a Green Card/ Lawful Permanent Resident Status,
  • Keep a Green Card/ Lawful Permanent Resident Status, or
  • Become a U.S. citizen.

You can also apply for SNAP on behalf of the eligible immigrants or U.S. citizens in your family, even if you do not want to apply for benefits for yourself, without affecting your or their immigration status. For example, if a parent is not eligible for SNAP because of their immigration status, they can still apply for their eligible children. The SNAP office is not allowed to ask for immigration documents for people who are not applying to receive benefits themselves.

If you need food help, and you or members of your household qualify, please apply for SNAP for yourself or your family. Do it for your family's good! For more information relating to general immigration information in English or in Spanish, please call U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at 1-800-375-5283. For general information about SNAP, please visit otda.ny.gov/snap

El solicitar o recibir subsidios SNAP no lo hace a usted una carga pública y no se tomará en cuenta cuando se haga una decisión sobre carga pública. El solicitar o recibir SNAP no afectará su capacidad para:

  • Permanecer en los Estados Unidos
  • Obtener una Tarjeta Verde / Estatus de Residente Permanente Legal
  • Mantener una Tarjeta Verde / Estatus de Residente Permanente Legal; u
  • Obtener su ciudadanía estadounidense.

Usted también puede solicitar SNAP en nombre de los inmigrantes aptos o ciudadanos estadounidenses en su familia, incluso si usted no desea solicitar los subsidios para usted, sin afectar su estado migratorio o el de ellos. Por ejemplo, si uno de los padres no es apto para recibir SNAP debido a su estado migratorio, esa persona puede solicitarlo para sus hijos aptos. La oficina de SNAP no puede solicitar documentos de inmigración de las personas que no están solicitando los subsidios para ellos mismos.

Si necesita ayuda para la compra de alimentos y usted o los miembros de su grupo familiar son aptos, solicite SNAP para usted o su familia. ¡Hágalo por el bien de su familia! Si desea más información relacionada con la información general de inmigración en inglés o en español, llame al Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de los Estados Unidos (USCIS) al 1-800-375-5283. Si desea información general sobre SNAP, visite: otda.ny.gov/snap.

 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) will automatically issue an Emergency supplemental SNAP benefit to households not already receiving the maximum benefit. This action is part of a provision set forth by the Families First Corona Virus Response Act of 2020. Households currently not receiving the maximum benefit will receive the Emergency supplemental SNAP benefit to increase their current benefit amount to the maximum amount for their household size. New York State OTDA will issue the Emergency supplemental benefits to all SNAP households not already receiving the maximum benefit.

Updated SNAP standards will become effective October 1, 2020. Please visit the following links for additional information:

  • http://otda.state.nyenet/ldss_eforms/eforms/5006.pdf
  • http://otda.state.nyenet/ldss_eforms/eforms/5006-SP.pdf (Spanish)