State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
Free, unbiased Medicare counseling in Wisconsin. Trained counselors go through your costs and choices with you, and they don't sell plans.
Food
FoodShare (SNAP) for seniors in Wisconsin
Wisconsin calls SNAP FoodShare. If no one in your home works and all the adults are 65 or older or disabled, approval may last 36 months with no six-month report and no interview at your next renewal.
Since August 2026, people 60 to 64 without a disability no longer get the 36-month approval because of a 2025 federal law.
How to apply in Wisconsin
- By phone
- 1-800-362-3002
- In person
- Go to your local county or Tribal agency during office hours. You can also apply by phone through that agency.
- By mail
- Fill out and mail the paper Wisconsin FoodShare Application (form F-16019).
Applying is free. Nobody should charge you to apply.
Apply on the official siteWho may qualify in Wisconsin
| 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 Wisconsin's broad-based categorical eligibility rule | 200% of the poverty level |
Dates, renewals and waiting lists
| How long approval lasts, households with no earned income where all adults are 65+ or disabled | 36 months |
|---|
How Wisconsin is different
Where Wisconsin's rules differ from the federal rules for SNAP for seniors.
- Approval lasts 36 months for households with no earned income where all adults are 65 or older or disabled
- Those households don't fill out six-month report forms and don't need an interview at their next renewal unless something needs checking
Good to know
- Since August 8, 2026, households with someone 60 to 64 who doesn't have a disability can't get the 36-month approval, because a 2025 federal law extended the FoodShare work requirement for adults without children up to age 64. People already approved keep their period but must send six-month reports and have an interview at renewal.
Free help
Free help with this in Wisconsin
Bureau of Aging and Disability Resources
Your local Area Agency on Aging can help with meals, rides, help at home, caregiver support and applying for benefits.
More help in Wisconsin
SNAP food benefits in another state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- 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
- Wyoming
Sources
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, ForwardHealth: Apply for Benefits (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, FoodShare Wisconsin Policy Handbook 4.2.1, Categorical and Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, DMS Operations Memo 26-28: FoodShare 36-Month Certification Period Changes for Members Aged 60-64 (July 31, 2026) (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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