SNAP Benefits Update: Are You Eligible for the Restaurant Meals Program? How to Sign Up?

By Mary Webber First Posted: Dec 07, 2022 07:50 PM EST

SNAP benefits payments can be used to buy several eligible items such as fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, bread, cereals, and other snack foods.

Several retailers accept SNAP benefits payments through the Electronic Benefit Transfer card, which officials usually use to deposit recipients' benefits every month.

Grocery stores, supermarkets, specialty stores, and farmers' markets accept SNAP benefits payments as payments for their goods. Some convenience stores also offer the same service.

Meanwhile, there are items that are not allowed to be bought using your food stamp payments such as liquor drinks, tobacco, vitamins, medicines, supplements, pet foods, cleaning supplies, hygiene items, and cosmetics.

SNAP benefits cannot also be used to buy live animals except for shellfish, fish removed from water, and animals slaughtered before pick-up from the store.

Foods that are hot at the point of sale are also part of ineligible SNAP items. However, there are certain exceptions to this ruling.

SNAP Restaurant Meals Program

SNAP benefits payments are commonly used to pay for food that should be prepared at home, which means most of the time the purchases are made at grocery stores or at other retailers.

However, there are beneficiaries in some states that can also use SNAP benefits payments to buy hot meals. It was made possible through its Restaurant Meals Program, which is in partnership with participating restaurants.

At the moment, only seven states participate in the SNAP Restaurant Meals Program: Arizona, Illinois, Maryland, California, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Virginia.

SNAP restaurant meal program also has a list of eligibility rules to be part of the program. To participate in RMP, recipients must first live in the aforementioned states participating in the program.

In addition, they should be one of the following: elderly, which is 60 years old or older; disabled; spouse of a SNAP client who is qualified for the RMP; and homeless.

Each state can have its own requirements for choosing how many and which restaurants can participate in the RMP.

To be part of the RMP participating states, officials must prove to the U.S. Department of Agriculture that certain high-needs residents are not well-served by traditional food stamp benefits.

Some of the national restaurant chains participating in RMP include Blimpie, Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy's, KFC, Papa John's, Pizza Hut, Popeye's, Subway, Quiznos, Denny's Domino Pizza, Golden Corral, Jamba Juice, and Jack in the Box.

SNAP Benefits Payments

In November, some have confirmed the extension of SNAP benefits emergency allotments for December.

SNAP benefits emergency allotments allow households to receive the maximum amount for their size, while those already receiving the maximum receive an additional $95.

The U.S. Agriculture Department announced the states that will extend their emergency allotments into December 2022. It includes Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, and Oklahoma, among others.

Texas recently joined the list with state Gov. Greg Abbott's announcement regarding the matter.

SNAP benefits emergency allotments are related to the declaration of a federal public health emergency. It was first launched in January 2020 and has been extended ever since.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: How to Buy Fast Food with Food Stamps (through the Restaurant Meals Program) - from Low Income Relief