Background

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal program that provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of needy families so they can purchase healthy food and move toward self-sufficiency.

To get SNAP benefits, families must apply in the state where they live and they must meet certain requirements, including resource and income limits.

Each state is responsible for administering the SNAP program. Therefore, each state has its own application and tools for determining eligibility and benefits. Each state’s web pages and online services also vary significantly. Some states provide a simple description of the program on the agency’s website. Others offer applications, benefit calculators, pre-screening tools, detailed program operation instructions for caseworkers (called policy manuals) and program memos to eligibility workers, which describe policy changes to the program. Making all of these materials readily available to the public improves understanding of SNAP.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) administers the SNAP program in Oklahoma. You can find out more about the SNAP program in Oklahoma here.

Though Oklahoma residents can register for SNAP online via the OKDHS website, the application is many pages long and can be hard to navigate. This can delay or even prevent people from signing up.