Edith’s husband, Archie, recently passed. Edith receives $2373 a month in Social Security benefits. She was a stay-at-home wife, so she did not invest in a retirement plan. Edith’s only income are her Social Security benefits.
Edith lives in a retirement community and pays $975 a month in rent. Rent includes cable, water, and internet. She pays for electricity separately and uses electricity to heat and cool her apartment.
Edith has health issues that require medication and routine doctor’s visits.
These are her medical expenses:
- Her Medicare is $200 a month and deducted directly out of her Social Security. She also pays for Parts B and C.
- Monthly visits to her local endocrinologist to manage her diabetes
- A monthly visit to a retina specialist 75 miles away for macular degeneration
- A monthly visit to a cardiologist 45 miles away
- Twice a month visits with a psychiatrist in her hometown
- Dental visits twice a year 60 miles away
- Weekly visits to the physical therapist in her hometown
- Yearly eye exams with her regular eye doctor in her hometown
- New glasses every year
- Approximately $175 a month in prescription costs
- Weekly visits to a local chiropractor
- $5000 for a hospital stay after she broke her hip
- She pays her niece, Maude, $75 a week to assist her with basic home cleaning and driving her to medical appointments. Edith owns her own car, and they use her car for medical travel.
- Edith has a specially trained service dog, Bo Biscuit Head, which helps with her PTSD caused by a violent attack several years ago. Edith pays for all for all food, grooming, veterinary care, medications including flea and tick prevention, etc. for Bo Biscuit Head.
What does Edith need to provide when she first applies?
- An online or paper application
- Her Social Security card, birth certificate, and ID
- Proof of residency (lease, utility bill, etc.)
- Award letter for her Social Security Disability
- Mortgage verification
- Any proof that can be used for medical deductions
What does Edith need to provide at recertification?
- An online or paper application
- Updated proof for medical deductions
Edith qualifies for the following deductions:
- Shelter Deduction
- Utilities Deduction
- Medical Deduction
What verification does Edith need to provide for these deductions?
- Shelter deduction (rent) – third party verification (lease, mortgage, receipt, landlord statement)
- Utilities deduction – Heating and cooling deduction: client statement
- There are several utility deductions, but the largest and easiest one is the heating and cooling deduction.
- To get the heating and cooling deduction: Select an answer to this question: “What is the home’s primary heating or cooling source? (electricity, gas, or both)”
- Check no under the question: “Does someone else pay any of these household bills for you?”
- Medical Deductions – (Medical deductions can only be used by people over the age of 65, legally blind, or legally disabled.)
Edith qualifies for the following deductions and should bring the listed verification to qualify
- Shelter deduction (rent) – third party verification (lease, mortgage, receipt, landlord statement)
- Utilities deduction – Heating and cooling deduction: client statement
- There are several utility deductions, but the largest and easiest one is the heating and cooling deduction.
- To get the heating and cooling deduction: Select an answer to this question: “What is the home’s primary heating or cooling source? (electricity, gas, or both)”
- Check no under the question: “Does someone else pay any of these household bills for you?”
- Medical Deductions – (Medical deductions can only be used by people over the age of 65, legally blind, or legally disabled.)
Edith qualifies for the following deductions and should bring the listed verification to qualify
- Medicare including parts C and D
- Case managers can often use the Social Security database to get this information, but Edith may need to provide Evidenceof Coverage if requested
- Medical travel
- Provide client statement as verification
- Edith needs to determine how many miles she travels to the office and back home then figure it per month and write it down. For example:
- Edith B. Medical Travel per month
- Cardiologist – 90 miles
- Retina specialist – 150 miles
- Endocrinologist – 20 miles
- Psychologist – 2 a month @ 30 miles: total 60 miles
- Chiropractor – 4 times a month @ 25 miles: total 100 miles
- Pharmacy – 2 times a month @ 40 miles: total 100 miles
- Total medical miles per month: 520 miles
- Medical travel using an automobile only counts if the Food Stamp recipient owns the car. The case manager accepts client statement about who owns the car.
- Edith will need to provide an updated travel log at recertification.
- Handy tip: Edith keeps a personal copy of the travel log she gave to her case manager and looks back at it when she has to recertify her Food Stamps.
- Edith B. Medical Travel per month
- Medical and dental specialist bills including specialists like Edith’s chiropractor, retina specialist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, dentist, optometrist, physical therapists, etc.
- Provide current bills for all doctor services
- NOTE: Once you have used a bill as a deduction, it cannot be used again even if you still owe on the bill.
- Mental health visits including therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists
- Provide current bills for all mental health services
- NOTE: Once you have used a bill as a deduction, it cannot be used again even if you still owe on the bill.
- Health aids such as Edith’s eyeglasses. Health aides may also include contact lenses, dentures, hearing aids, and prosthetics among other items
- Provide a current bill for health aids
- NOTE: Once you have used a bill as a deduction, it cannot be used again even if you still owe on the bill.
- Hospitalization, outpatient treatment, or nursing care
- Edith should provide a current bill for her hospital stay
- NOTE: Once you have used a bill as a deduction, it cannot be used again even if you still owe on the bill.
- Prescriptions
- Edith goes to her pharmacy and requests an annual pharmacy printout to use as verification.
- Edith will need to provide an updated printout at recertification.
- Housekeeper, home health aide, attendant, homemaker
- Edith’s niece, Maude, provides services as a housekeeper and is paid $75 a week. Edit can use this as a medical deduction to possibly get more Food Stamps.
- Verification: Maude writes a statement verifying she provides housekeeping services for Edith due to Edith’s health issues. Example:
12/01/2025
To whom it may concern:
As of 3/14/2020, I work as a part-time housekeeper for Edith B. She pays me $75.00 a week for basic housekeeping services necessary due to her disability.
If you have any questions, please contact me at (707) 873-7862.
Thank you,
Maude F.
- Service dog – Bo Biscuit Head
- Edith needs to provide the following for verification from the past year:
- Veterinarian bills
- Receipts for meds including flea and tick prevention
- Receipts for dog food and treats
- Receipts for items necessary to Bo’s work (vest, harness, leash, any mobility or task gear, paw protection, ID tags, poop bags, collapsible water bowls/bottles, first aid kit, grooming tools, obedience tools, cool mat/vest, etc.)
- Receipts for toys, kennels, beds, etc.
- Receipts for the week Bo Biscuit Head was boarded while she was in the hospital
- Edith needs to provide the following for verification from the past year:
