WAG 04-05-02: The SNAP Household

PM 04-05-02

  • A person who meets elderly disabled status, age 60 or older with a permanent disability in PM 05-06-01 (and their spouse if living in the home) may be a separate SNAP household even though their food is bought and prepared in common with the other people they live with. An elderly disabled person who cannot buy and prepare their own food because of a permanent disability (and their spouse if living in the home) may qualify for separate SNAP household status if the other people they are living with in the home do not have gross nonexempt income that exceeds the monthly gross income standard amounts listed below.
  • Determine the amount of income to be used as follows:
  1. Verify the gross nonexempt income of the other persons in the SNAP household. Do not count the income of the elderly disabled person (and their spouse if living in the home). See PM 08-04-00 for policy on nonexempt income.
  2. Compare the other persons' verified gross nonexempt income to the amount in the chart below for the household size, using SNAP Calculation Sheet (Form 683B). Do not include the elderly disabled person (and their spouse if living in the home) in the SNAP household size. See example below.
SNAP Household Size Revised Manual TextGross Monthly Income Standard
1 Person $2,071
2 Persons 2,811
3 Persons 3,551
4 Persons 4,290
5 Persons 5,030
6 Persons 5,770
7 Persons 6,510
8 Persons 7,249
9 Persons 7,989
10 Persons 8,729
Each Additional Member +740

 3.  If the elderly disabled person(s) qualifies for separate SNAP household status, determine their eligibility and benefit amount separately. See PM 05-04-02 for how to treat expenses shared by persons living together.

new manual textExample: Ms. G and her spouse are applying for SNAP. Both are 70 years old. Ms. G has an amputated leg (WAG 05-06-01-a) due to diabetes. She and her spouse live in the home of their 50 year old daughter. Because they are no longer able to care for themselves, their food is bought and prepared in common with their daughter. The daughter's only source of income is $1,500 monthly from work. The household size for the daughter is 1 (excluding Ms. G and her spouse). The monthly gross income standard for a household size of 1 is New Revised Text$2,071. The daughter's income is less than New Manual Text$2,071. Ms. G and her spouse may be granted separate SNAP household status from their daughter.