KATE GIAMMARISE, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, kgiammarise@post-gazette.com
NOV 13, 2017
More than a year after the state rolled out a vastly simplified application process for some senior citizens applying for food assistance, more than 350,000 older Pennsylvanians have used the streamlined tool.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services introduced the easier application in June of last year, changing the form from a 24-page document that covered multiple assistance programs to a more manageable two-page application.
The streamlined enrollment is available to people age 60 or older applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps, who don’t have earned income from employment. Individuals using this simplified application have to renew their application every three years, rather than annually as others must do.
Pennsylvania’s Acting Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller touted the change at an event last week in Pittsburgh to discuss the health problems and other ills that can be caused by hunger. The event was sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Politics, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and The Pittsburgh Foundation.
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