SNAP and food help for older adults in Maryland

SNAP for older adults

SNAP helps you buy groceries. The Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) runs it through local departments of social services.

Special rules if you are 60 or older

• Medical costs count. If someone in your home is 60 or older or gets certain disability payments, medical costs over $35 a month can be deducted from your income. This can raise your benefit. You must show proof, such as receipts and bills.
• Assets: Almost all Maryland SNAP households do not have an asset test. If yours does, the limit is $4,750 when someone is 60 or older or disabled ($3,000 for other households).
• Work rules: The SNAP work registration rules apply to adults 16 to 59, so they generally do not apply to you after 60.

How to apply for SNAP

1. Apply online at MarylandBenefits.gov, in person at your local department of social services, or by mail or fax to that office. Find yours at dhs.maryland.gov/local-offices. For a paper form, call 1-800-332-6347 (TTY 1-800-735-2258). Interpreters are free.
2. Have an interview. Everyone who applies has one.
3. Send the proof the office asks for. If you are 60 or older, include proof of your medical costs.
4. Fast help: If you have little or no money, you may get benefits faster (Expedited SNAP). You only need an interview and proof of identity first.

Renewals: Your approval notice tells you how many months you can get SNAP before you must reapply. Send your renewal on time.

If you disagree with a decision, you can ask for a hearing. Your notice explains how and by when.

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Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program

Run by the Maryland Department of Agriculture with local Area Agencies on Aging.

Who qualifies

You must be 60 or older and live in Maryland. The limit is 185% of the poverty level.

What you get

• A one-time benefit of $35 for the season.
• It comes on a benefit card with a QR code. You can keep the card and use it again in later years if you still qualify.
• Use it from June through November at participating farmers markets and farm stands, for fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and honey.

How to apply

1. Apply online through the link on the Maryland Department of Agriculture home page, mda.maryland.gov. Everyone must apply again each year, including past participants.
2. Need help? Call your local Area Agency on Aging. Maryland Access Point at 1-844-627-5465 can connect you.
3. Wait to hear. You are told within 15 days if you are approved.
4. Get your card. Depending on where you live, it is mailed to you or you pick it up at a place your Area Agency on Aging chooses.

Applications stay open until all benefits are given out, so apply early in the season. The 2026 season ends in November 2026.

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My Groceries To Go! (Commodity Supplemental Food Program)

A free box of food each month, paid for by USDA and given out by local agencies.

Who qualifies:

• You are 60 or older.
• Your income is at or below 130% of the federal poverty level.
• You live in Allegany County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Montgomery County or Prince George's County.

What you get: Canned fruit, juice and vegetables, protein foods such as beans, peanut butter and canned meat, milk and cheese, plus nutrition information. The number of people served depends on funding.

How to get it:

• Contact a local provider: The Salvation Army (central Maryland), the Capital Area Food Bank, or the Allegany County Human Resources Development Commission.
• Or call DHS at 1-800-332-6347 to find the provider for your area.
• You can pick up the box yourself, send someone you choose, or, in some areas, get home delivery.

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Senior meals

The Maryland Department of Aging funds group meals and home-delivered meals through local Area Agencies on Aging.

• Group meals: For people 60 and over and their spouses of any age. Some people with disabilities also qualify.
• Home-delivered meals: For people 60 and over who are homebound, and their spouses.
• No income or asset test. You are asked to give what you can, but no one is turned away. Priority goes to people with the greatest need and those at risk of going into a nursing home.
• To sign up: call Maryland Access Point at 1-844-627-5465.

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Common mistakes

• Not reporting medical costs. Out-of-pocket medical costs over $35 a month can raise your SNAP benefit.
• Forgetting to reapply for the farmers market benefit each year.
• Assuming you earn too much. The farmers market limit is 185% of the poverty level.
• Missing the food box if you live in one of the five areas it serves.

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Free help

• Maryland Access Point (MAP): 1-844-627-5465, for meals, the farmers market program and other help.
• DHS customer service: 1-800-332-6347.

See all benefits in Maryland.

Phone numbers: Free help lines for Maryland agencies

Check what you may qualify for