WASHINGTON BASIC FOOD PROGRAM
HOW AND WHEN WE DELIVER BASIC FOOD BENEFITS
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECEIVE MY BENEFITS?
On average, we approve applications for eligible households in 10 days, however about half of all
applications are approved in less than six days. When we approve an application for Basic Food, benefits
go back to the date of application.
H
OW WILL I GET MY BENEFITS?
When your application is approved, you are given an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. It looks like a
debit or credit card. Each month, we issue benefits onto your account by the tenth day of each month. The
dates vary from the 1st to the 10th depending on the last number of your Basic Food case. If the last
number of your case is one (1), you will get your benefits on the first day of the month; if it is two (2),
you’ll get your benefits on the second day of the month, and so on.
D
O MY BENEFITS EXPIRE IF I DON’T USE THEM IN THE MONTH THEY ARE ISSUED?
Any benefits remaining in your EBT account at the end of the month are carried over into the next month.
However, if you have not used your benefits at all for one year, we must begin the process of permanently
removing your Basic Food benefits from your EBT account.
USING BASIC FOOD BENEFITS
WHERE CAN I USE BASIC FOOD BENEFITS?
You can use your benefits at any grocery store, convenience store or discount retailer that accepts Basic
Food or Food Stamp benefits. Most stores, including major chains, accept Basic Food. Many farmers
markets also accept Basic Food benefits through the EBT card—just look for the EBT logo on the door or
cash register.
C
AN I USE MY EBT CARD IN ANOTHER STATE?
Yes. A Washington EBT Quest Card can be used in all states. However, if you move out of the state, you
must notify us about the move and be sure to apply for benefits in the new state where you will live.
C
AN I HAVE SOMEONE USE MY CARD TO BUY FOOD FOR ME?
If you want someone else to have access to benefits for your household, you can set them up as an
alternate card holder. An additional EBT card for your account would be issued to this person so they
would be able to purchase food for you.
W
HAT CAN I BUY WITH BASIC FOOD BENEFITS?
Basic Food benefits can be used to buy people in your household food items such as:
Breads and cereals
• Fruits and vegetables
• Cheese, milk and other dairy products
Meats, fish, poultry and eggs
• Most other food items that are not prepared hot foods
• Seeds and plants that produce food for your household
Basic Food benefits cannot be given to
someone else, donated, exchanged for cash
or used to buy:
• Vitamins or medicines
• Food that will be eaten in the store
• Soaps, paper products
• Household supplies
• Beer, wine, or liquor
• Cigarettes or tobacco
H
OW DO I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BASIC FOOD?
• Call us toll-free at 1-877-501-2233
• Visit us online at www.foodhelp.wa.gov
.