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What are my rights?

The SNAP/food stamp program is a nationwide entitlement program. This means that as long as you meet the rules for SNAP/food stamps, you have a legal right to get them. You also have the right to: Have your application accepted right away, even before you meet with a caseworker. Only your name, address, and signature need to be complete in order for DTA to accept your application. Have an adult you trust apply for as your authorized representative. Bring a friend or advocate to DTA to help you apply. Get your SNAP/food stamp benefits within 30 days after you apply. In an emergency, get “expedited” SNAP/food stamps within seven days after you apply. Apply even if you are homeless. Get permission to skip the face-to-face interview at the DTA office if you cannot go to DTA office because you are elderly, disabled or caring for a household member, if you have transportation problems, are sick, live in a rural area or experience prolonged severe weather or if you have a work or job training schedule that makes it difficult to get to the office during the hours that DTA is open. Get a list of all the documents you need to bring to DTA and help getting the documents if you need help. Prove your income, expenses, and identity in more than one way. For example, if you cannot fill out the Landlord Verification Form to prove your rent, you can give DTA a copy of a canceled rent check, a rent receipt, or other proof. Get a written letter telling you whether or not you can get food stamps, how much you will get, and how long they will last. If DTA is going to decrease or stop your food stamps they need to send you a letter ten days before they do this. The letter must say why they are decreasing or stopping your food stamps, and tell you about your right to appeal the decision. Be treated with dignity, consideration and respect, and to be treated without discrimination due to race, sex, color, national origin, disability, religious creed, or political belief. Know that applying for or receiving food stamps will not affect your immigration status. SNAP/Food Stamps does not count among the programs that are considered to make you a ‘public charge.’ (The government uses the term ‘public charge’ to describe people who are primarily dependent on public benefits.) Talk about your case in private with your caseworker. You do not have to talk about your case in the lobby or reception area. See your case file and make copies of the information in your file. Appeal any DTA decision you disagree with such as when your food stamps are denied, decreased, or stopped. You need to make an appeal request in writing. Send it to the Division of Hearings, PO Box 120167, Essex Station, Boston, MA 02110 or fax it to (617) 348-5311. Keep a copy of any papers that you send. You can also call Fair Hearings at 1-800-882-2017 for more information. Ask for a hearing to “challenge improper or coercive behavior” if your caseworker threatens you, tells you to do things that do not follow the rules, violates your privacy, or does not treat you with dignity and respect. Bring a friend, family member, advocate or lawyer to represent you in a hearing or any other meeting that you have with DTA. For more information about your rights: Call the FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333. To get information from DTA about your case call Recipient Services at 1-800-445-6604. To appeal an eligibility decision, call DTA's Fair Hearings division at 1-800-372-2017. (See third to last bullet above for more details.) If you need a lawyer or legal help, click on www.neighborhoodlaw.org. Then click on “legal services programs”. You can also get legal information at www.masslegalservices.org or: Legal assistance for food stamp cases on the South Shore: South Coastal Counties Legal Service 231 Main Street, Suite 201 Brockton, MA 02301 (508) 586-2110 or (800) 244-8393 To order a copy of the "Food Stamp Advocacy Guide: an Advocate’s Guide to the Food Stamp Program in Massachusetts," contact the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute at (617) 357-0700.