• The food stamp program in Tennessee is officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The goal of the program is to provide nutritional assistance to individuals and families who are disabled, unemployed or employed in a job that does not cover their expenses. While the program is known as food stamps, the benefits are actually issued and used through an electronic benefit card otherwise known as an EBT card. Not every adult or child in Tennessee is eligible and there are specific qualifications that must be met to obtain benefits.
  
  

Residency

• In order to qualify for the SNAP program in Tennessee you must be able to prove residency. A household or individual who wishes to receive food stamp benefits in Tennessee must first prove they are a legal resident of the United States. This means they are a citizen of the United States, a U.S. National or a legal immigrant. To prove this, they must present a Social Security number or proof that they have applied for one..
  
  Applicants to Tennessee's food stamp program must also be residents of the state. This can usually be proven by providing a driver's license, state ID or a utility bill in the applicant's name showing residency in Tennessee.
  
  

Working or Attempting to Work

• In order to receive food stamps from the SNAP program able-bodied citizens between the ages of 16 and 59 must either register to work or be enrolled in the Employment & Training Program and accept job offers if they are received. Someone enrolled in the SNAP program cannot quit any job. Those who are not disabled and do not have dependents can only receive benefits from the SNAP program for a total of five months over any three-year period unless they are working 80 hours or more a month.
  
  

Financial Resources

• There are income limits that must be met to be eligible for the Tennessee program. The state has an online test at tn.gov/foodstamps that will determine if an applicant qualifies. The test does not take scholarships, grants or loans into consideration. Total assets, not including a house and a vehicle that is valued under $1,500, can not surpass $2,000 for a single household for an applicant to be eligible. Total assets can surpass $3,000 if the household contains a disabled individual or someone who is over the age of 60.