What Is the SNAP Food Stamp Program?
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What is SNAP?
SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a government assistance program to help low-income households pay for food. SNAP used to be called the Food Stamp program. The amount of SNAP food stamps a household gets depends on the household's size, income, and expenses.
Massachusetts households who are approved for SNAP food stamps get a plastic debit card called an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, also called a Bay State Access card. They can use this card to pay for food at supermarkets, convenience stores, and other food stores. Each month, SNAP food stamp benefits are directly deposited into the household's EBT card account.
Who runs the SNAP food stamp program?
The SNAP food stamp program is managed by the Department of Agriculture in the U.S. government. The Department of Agriculture gives money to each state to provide SNAP food stamps for its residents.
In Massachusetts, the agency in charge of SNAP is the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA).
Who is in charge of SNAP food stamp fraud prevention?
The Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI), part of the State Auditor's Office, is in charge of fraud prevention for SNAP food stamps and other public assistance programs in Massachusetts.
The BSI has a 24-hour confidential Fraud Hotline at 1-800-FRAUD-99, run by the Department of Transitional Assistance, to report cases of fraud in DTA programs, including SNAP food stamps.
The State Auditor's Office also has an e-mail "Information Line" that you can use to report fraud: Infoline@SAO.state.ma.us
People who commit SNAP food stamp fraud may be disqualified from getting SNAP food stamps for a period of time.
Why did food stamps change its name to SNAP?
SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The new name shows that the program cares about good nutrition and healthy eating. SNAP's slogan is "Putting Healthy Food Within Reach." The new name also shows that SNAP is a modern program that uses EBT cards instead of old style paper food stamp coupons.
The name change does not affect benefits in any way. SNAP is the same program as food stamps. Only the name is different. The federal government changed the name of the program on October 1, 2008.
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