Arizona State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
Free, unbiased Medicare counseling in Arizona. Trained counselors go through your costs and choices with you, and they don't sell plans.
Food
Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) for seniors in Arizona
Arizona calls SNAP Nutrition Assistance: a monthly amount on an EBT card to help buy food.
If everyone applying is 65 or older and no one works, a simpler application may keep you approved for 36 months. People 60 and older on Nutrition Assistance may also use their card for meals at participating restaurants.
How to apply in Arizona
- By phone
- 1-855-432-7587
- In person
- If you can't apply online, go to a DES Family Assistance office. Offices are open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A community assistor can also help you fill out the application.
- By mail
- Download the Application for Benefits, or call 1-855-432-7587 to have one mailed to you. Fill it out and mail or fax it as the form explains.
Applying is free. Nobody should charge you to apply.
Apply on the official siteWho may qualify in Arizona
| Savings limit, household with someone 60+ or disabled, gross income at or under 200% of poverty | No limit |
|---|---|
| Savings limit if gross income is over 200% of poverty (Oct. 2026 to Sept. 2027) | $4,750 |
| Gross income limit for the no-savings-test rule (broad-based categorical eligibility) | 200% of the poverty level |
Dates, renewals and waiting lists
| How long approval lasts, households where everyone applying is 65+ and no one works (ESAP) | 36 months |
|---|
How Arizona is different
Where Arizona's rules differ from the federal rules for SNAP for seniors.
- Simpler application, interview and paperwork for households where everyone applying is 65 or older and no one has earned income (Elderly Simplified Application Project). To apply this way, call 1-855-234-4960.
- Those households may not need an interview to renew and have no check-in partway through their approval
- Restaurant Meals Program: if everyone in your household is 60 or older, has a disability or is homeless, you may buy prepared meals at participating restaurants
Good to know
- Households using the simpler senior application that have more than $35 a month in out-of-pocket medical costs get a standard medical deduction of $160 ($195 minus $35), or their actual costs if those are higher (from Oct. 1, 2026).
- Arizona's work rule for adults without children now reaches age 64. People 60 to 64 who aren't exempt may get only three months of benefits in three years unless they work or train at least 20 hours a week.
Free help
Free help with this in Arizona
Division of Aging and Adult Services
Your local Area Agency on Aging can help with meals, rides, help at home, caregiver support and applying for benefits.
More help in Arizona
SNAP food benefits in another state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Sources
- Arizona Department of Economic Security, Nutrition Assistance (NA) (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- Arizona Department of Economic Security, How to Apply for Nutrition Assistance (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- Arizona Department of Economic Security, Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- Arizona Department of Economic Security, Work Requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- Arizona Department of Economic Security, Cash and Nutrition Assistance Policy Manual: NA Categorical Eligibility (FAA5.I.01.B) (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, SNAP Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information: FY 2027 standards (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
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