Frequent Pitfalls

Tens of millions of people use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to get healthy food each day. If you apply for SNAP and are approved, you get money for groceries and other healthy food. If you apply and are denied, nothing will change in your life (you can also choose to appeal the decision). So there’s no harm in applying and a lot of potential benefits if you are approved.

After you apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the county human services department may call you for an interview. This is to make sure they understand your needs. The interview may be done by phone or in person.

Be sure to attend your interview or to contact your local county human services department to reschedule it if you miss it. SNAP may deny your application if you don’t complete a required interview.

When you start getting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, you get instructions on how to report changes in your household and what to report, including on how to report changes online. To avoid problems with your SNAP benefits, report any changes by the 10^th of the month following the month that the change occurred.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is used to buy food for the household to eat and should be used at stores with the “QUEST” logo. You are not allowed to use SNAP at restaurants, places licensed to sell liquor, places where you can gamble, places that sell medical or retail marijuana or marijuana products, adult entertainment venues, and places whose primary business is the sale of firearms. SNAP cannot be used to purchase hot prepared foods in grocery stores either.

For more information on how to use your EBT Card, look at the “How to Use Your Colorado EBT Card” fact sheet.