BENEFITS
Benefits Assistance Hours:
Monday – Friday: 8 AM – 8 PM
Saturday: 9 AM – 3 PM
For questions regarding benefits assistance, please contact:
BENEFITS ASSISTANCE
(210) 431-8326 or 1-800-246-9121
clientservices@safoodbank.org
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities.
Households who receive SNAP can use benefits to buy foods such as:
- breads and cereals
- fruits and vegetables
- meats, fish and poultry
- dairy products
To learn more about SNAP, please visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap.
El Programa de Asistencia de Nutrición Suplementaria (SNAP, por sus siglas en inglés) ofrece asistencia nutricional a millones de individuos y familias elegibles y de bajos ingresos y proporciona beneficios económicos a las comunidades.
Los hogares que reciben SNAP pueden usar beneficios para comprar alimentos como:
- pan y cereales
- frutas y vegetales
- carnes, pescados y aves
- productos lácteos
Para obtener más información acerca de SNAP, por favor visite http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap.
Medicaid is the State and Federal cooperative venture that provides medical coverage to eligible need individuals.
Medicaid was introduced to to improve the health of people who might otherwise go without medical care for themselves and their children. You can think of Medicaid as a type of health insurance for low-income families, children, and people who are elderly or have a disability. But unlike regular health insurance, you don’t have to pay for it, and most services are free.
How does Medicaid work?
Each month you will receive a Medicaid ID card. It is very important that you keep it in a safe place. You will have to show that card each time you visit a doctor or get a prescription filled. You will not receive a monthly ID card if your only benefit is payment of all or part of your Medicare Part B premium.
What is covered?
In most cases, Medicaid pays for doctors’ services, laboratory and X-ray charges, medication, nursing facility and hospital services, family planning, eyeglasses, hearing aids, ambulance, podiatry, chiropractic, maternity, nurse midwife, and other health care services.
Children in Texas without health insurance may be able to get low cost or free health coverage from the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or Children’s Medicaid.
What is covered?
CHIP and Children’s Medicaid both offer many benefits:
- Dentist visits, cleanings, and fillings
- Eye exams and glasses
- Choice of doctors, regular checkups, and office visits
- Prescription drugs and vaccines
- Access to medical specialists and mental health care
- Hospital care and services
- Medical supplies, X-rays, and lab tests
- Treatment of special health needs
- Treatment of pre-existing conditions
To learn more about CHIP/Children’s Medicaid, please vist https://chipmedicaid.org/.
Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) provides a range of services to Texans with disabilities that help ensure their well-being, dignity and choice. Programs also are in place to support family members who care for them.
MEPD
MEPD (Medicaid for person with disabilities) provides assistance paying your medical expenses, assistance with home care and nursing home facilities, or help paying Medicare cost-sharing expenses.
To learn more about long term care, please visit https://hhs.texas.gov/services/disability.
WIC is a nutrition program that helps pregnant women, new mothers, and young children eat well, learn about nutrition, and stay healthy. Nutrition education and counseling, nutritious foods, and help accessing health care are provided to low-income women, infants, and children through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program, popularly known as WIC.
What about fathers?
Fathers of children under the age of 5 are encouraged to enroll their children in the WIC program. Just like any other parent or guardian, fathers can bring their children to appointments, attend nutrition classes, and receive and redeem benefits for their children. Active participation by fathers is a great help in keeping WIC children healthy.
What does WIC provide and who receives the benefits?
WIC provides nutrition education, nutritious foods, referrals to health and human services, breast feeding support, and immunizations (at some clinics). Food benefits are issued for each client. Both fathers and mothers can receive and spend benefits for their children.
To learn more about WIC, please visit http://texaswic.dshs.state.tx.us/wiclessons/english/splash/.
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is designed to help needy families achieve self-sufficiency. States receive block grants to design and operate programs that accomplish one of the purposes of the TANF program.
The four purposes of the TANF program are to:
- Provide assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes
- Reduce the dependency of needy parents by promoting job preparation, work and marriage
- Prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies
- Encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families
To learn more about TANF, please visit https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/programs/tanf/about.
Healthy Texas Women is a program dedicated to offering women’s health and family planning at no cost to eligible women in Texas. These services help women plan their families, whether it is to achieve, postpone, or prevent pregnancy. They also can have a positive effect on future pregnancy planning and general health.
Healthy Texas Women provides a wide variety of women’s health and core family planning services, including:
- Pregnancy testing
- Pelvic examinations
- Sexually transmitted infection services
- Breast and cervical cancer screenings
- Clinical breast examination
- Screening and treatment for cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure
- HIV screening
- Long-acting reversible contraceptives
- Oral contraceptive pills
- Permanent sterilization
- Other contraceptive methods such as condoms, diaphragm, vaginal spermicide, and injections
- Screening and treatment for postpartum depression
This program pays only for the services listed above. If a health problem such as cancer is found, you will be referred to a doctor or clinic that can treat you. If you are pregnant, you will be referred to a program such as Medicaid for Pregnant Women. You might have to pay for those extra services
To learn more about Texas Healthy Women, please visit https://www.healthytexaswomen.org/htw-program.