The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) helps low-income people buy the food they need for good health.
You may be able to get SNAP benefits if you:
- work for low wages;
- are unemployed or work part time;
- receive welfare or other public assistance payments;
- are elderly or disabled and live on a small income; or
- are homeless.
Generally, state public assistance agencies operate the program
through local offices. The following rules apply in most states; but
some have different rules.
The amount of SNAP benefits you receive is based on the USDA
Thrifty Food Plan, which is an estimate of how much it costs to buy food
to prepare nutritious, low-cost meals for your household. The estimate
is updated every year to keep pace with food prices.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program defines a
household as a group of people who live together and buy food and
prepare meals together. If your household passes the program's
eligibility tests, the amount of benefits you receive depends on the
number of people in your household and on how much monthly income is
left after certain expenses (deductions) are subtracted.
For most households, SNAP benefits are only part of their
food budget; they must spend some of their own money along with their
SNAP benefits to buy enough food for a month.
For more information or to apply for SNAP benefits, you should contact your local Welfare Office.
Many households have trouble making ends meet each month; after paying rent, utilities, transportation, and child care,
there's often little left over to buy nutritious food. But it doesn't have to be that way. Each month, thousands
of households across the state turn to the Nevada State
Division of Welfare and Supportive Services (DWSS) to receive
assistance in the form of SNAP benefits to help feed their
families. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
is available to individuals, families, elderly and/or
disabled persons who meet specific income, resource and other
Read on to learn how you can receive help if you qualify.