The federal government pays the full cost of the food stamp benefits, but it splits the cost of administration with the states. More than 75 percent of all food stamp participants are in families with children nearly 25 percent of participants are elderly people or people with disabilities.

SNAP is for the most part uniform across the country and is reaching an estimated 43 million low-income Americans to provide them a nutritionally adequate diet.

Eligible food can also include seeds and plants to grow food, meals on wheels, and meals in certain group living arrangements for elderly or disabled individuals. With the EBT cards, participants may purchase “eligible food” – food intended for human consumption but not alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and hot foods or hot food products prepared for immediate consumption. Purchasing food with the SNAP EBT card does not have the stigma associated with the old food coupons. Participants are now given an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that looks much like a credit card. The familiar name, Food Stamps, along with the actual stamps themselves, have gone the way of paper social security checks. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – or SNAP – is the new name for the retooled and improved federal food assistance program following changes enacted in the 2008 Farm Bill. She is the past president of the Elder Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association and is repeatedly named a Super Lawyer in the field of elder law by her peers. Laurie concentrates her practice exclusively in the areas of government benefit eligibility, special needs trusts, trust and public benefit litigation, estate planning and planning for incapacity. The firm's focus is to provide positive strategies to individuals who are aging or living with disabilities to enable them to live as independently as possible for as long as possible. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Laurie Hanson, Esq., a shareholder in the Minneapolis, Minnesota elder law firm of Long, Reher & Hanson, P.A.

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance.

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