Medicaid and SNAP (Food Stamps)

[deferment baby]

Hello,

Did any medical students who is single with no kids apply for Medicaid or SNAP? What was the process and how did you qualify for SNAP especially as a student?

Thanks!

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[Azete]

Depends a bit on the state but in general no kids = no benefits (as a student). The CoA covers more than enough to feed/house/insure one person.

 

[Bru]

Best bet to contact look at your state's benefits site. I never heard of the having kids as a requirement.

My googling says:
http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-1/SNAP-for-College-Students-1.pdf

 

[tux4]

Look at your state requirements for medicaid but they usually do it by income. Most med students have no income so should be eligible. I used it throughout med school (single and no kids) and when I speak to representatives they say getting it as a student is very common. Food stamps they usually interview you for and are more difficult to obtain and are a whole other level of need.


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[Frazier]

I know one of my classmates (single, no kids) has medicaid... I don't know about the process of how it unfolded.

 

[Promethean]

Our school requires that we buy into their insurance plan. No exceptions unless you are on someone else's insurance (like a parent or a spouse.) But if that isn't required, medicaid may indeed be an option.

Food stamps may be more possible in some places than others. I definitely know a number of college students (who lacked family support for one reason or another) who were eligible, as well as a lot of working poor folks who get them. You don't get very much as a single person, no kids. And you usually need to have a job. Once I was turned down for food stamps because, although I was employed, they said that I wasn't working enough to qualify for food stamps. I was working all the hours that my job would give me, but that was not as much as 20 per week. I lost my housing, and became homeless, but kept my job. I tried again to access food stamps and was told that now, since I didn't have a rent payment, my disposable income was too high for me to get food stamps.

Food banks are an option, and there are usually programs for people who aren't eligible for food stamps, but who still don't have adequate food. They also usually have volunteer opportunities, so that you can do some work in thanks for receiving help.

 

[tennislover1989]

I'm single with no kids and currently have medicaid and formerly had SNAP. I was only eligible for SNAP during M1 & M2 because I had a work study job; my friends who didn't work and tried to apply were denied. As soon as I began my M3 year and stopped working, the benefits were stopped. Medicaid was a much easier approval process, I just showed them proof that I have no income and that was enough. I'm over 26 so remaining on my parent's insurance wasn't an option and our school insurance is like 2K for the year, so medicaid saves me money considering how infrequently I go to the doctor.

 

[mik30102]

If your state expanded medicaid coverage then students can apply for medicaid (I am on it). Who knows what will happen to that though with the whole ACA repeal... Food stamps would be a no go in most states.

 

[deferment baby]

Our school requires that we buy into their insurance plan. No exceptions unless you are on someone else's insurance (like a parent or a spouse.) But if that isn't required, medicaid may indeed be an option.

Food stamps may be more possible in some places than others. I definitely know a number of college students (who lacked family support for one reason or another) who were eligible, as well as a lot of working poor folks who get them. You don't get very much as a single person, no kids. And you usually need to have a job. Once I was turned down for food stamps because, although I was employed, they said that I wasn't working enough to qualify for food stamps. I was working all the hours that my job would give me, but that was not as much as 20 per week. I lost my housing, and became homeless, but kept my job. I tried again to access food stamps and was told that now, since I didn't have a rent payment, my disposable income was too high for me to get food stamps.

Food banks are an option, and there are usually programs for people who aren't eligible for food stamps, but who still don't have adequate food. They also usually have volunteer opportunities, so that you can do some work in thanks for receiving help.

Thank you for sharing your experience and all that you endured, especially not being eligible for snap, despite losing your housing. How frequent do good banks occur? Is it a weekly or monthly thing?

I'm single with no kids and currently have medicaid and formerly had SNAP. I was only eligible for SNAP during M1 & M2 because I had a work study job; my friends who didn't work and tried to apply were denied. As soon as I began my M3 year and stopped working, the benefits were stopped. Medicaid was a much easier approval process, I just showed them proof that I have no income and that was enough. I'm over 26 so remaining on my parent's insurance wasn't an option and our school insurance is like 2K for the year, so medicaid saves me money considering how infrequently I go to the doctor.

What job were you doing part time during M1 and M2? It seems hard to work part time and go to medical school full time. I don't think my school would allow that.

Some people used the time they spend in clinic as a M3 as having a part time job.



It seems like Medicaid will be easier to get, but SNAP will be a challenge. I will check the State's requirements to see how I will be eligible. There's no way I can work a part time job while in medical school.

Any one used the option, single, no kids, no job and living with a relative or room mate since this is technically out situation. Would they consider our loans to be a source of income?

 

[bigloley]

It really depends on your state and the coverage they provide. I'm a single male and I was on Medicaid since I was young up until the last year of medical school. Now I'm paying back into the system, just like how it's meant to work.

 

[Promethean]

Thank you for sharing your experience and all that you endured, especially not being eligible for snap, despite losing your housing. How frequent do good banks occur? Is it a weekly or monthly thing?

Any one used the option, single, no kids, no job and living with a relative or room mate since this is technically out situation. Would they consider our loans to be a source of income?

I let someone who was single, no kids, no job live with me for a few months while he got himself together after some health issues left him in a bind. He was able to apply for benefits and receive them. At this point, you really need to chat with a social worker in the jurisdiction you will be living in to see what is possible. The safety nets in different communities are highly variable, and what works in one state or city may be unavailable in another.

As for the frequency of food bank options - there should be centralized food bank / aid agency / advocacy group in your area. Just Harvest, Second Harvest, etc. They are often great resources to get answers to these questions. In many cases they can help you with applications, or at least make sure you know where to go. If you are having trouble locating them, contact your nearest United Way and ask them for referrals to resources. There may be other forms of aid available through the United Way, Urban League, etc.

 

[tennislover1989]

What job were you doing part time during M1 and M2? It seems hard to work part time and go to medical school full time. I don't think my school would allow that.

My school offers work study to students so there were a variety of jobs available; lots of my friends worked in computer labs/libraries and basically got paid to study. Mine was tutoring and as an office assistant for our department of community service. It wasn't super time consuming, ~10 hours/week, usually much less when an exam was coming up. I didn't go to class so my schedule was pretty wide open most of the week.

 

[Promethean]

What job were you doing part time during M1 and M2? It seems hard to work part time and go to medical school full time. I don't think my school would allow that.

I have worked as a pizza delivery driver, an Uber driver, a nursing home weekend RN supervisor, and as a home care nurse during medical school.

Most of those were very part time / short term gigs. The best has been the home care nurse job, which I'm doing now. I work overnight every other weekend. When I am at work, my job is mostly to keep my patient safe while he sleeps, so as long as he is not having trouble breathing, I am able to study. I just have the one patient, and I am just one of many nurses who are in and out of his house, around the clock. Of course, because my patient needs medications and certain specialized care, that requires a nursing license.

There are home care jobs that don't require a license. Most agency based jobs do require some experience, though.

You can also find an older person or someone with a disability who wants a companion / housekeeper, who would be willing to exchange room and board for having someone around to help them be able to live independently. If I were single, I would have looked for that arrangement, rather than paying rent. I set something like that up through a classified ad once, and it worked out very well for both parties. You'd have to be mature enough to actually do chores and make it worth having you there, but there are a lot of older folks who don't have kids, or don't have kids anywhere nearby who just want the security and company of having someone around.

If you don't want that for a living situation, there are still a lot of opportunities to do companion care as a part time job. You can find clients via craigslist.

 

[hughmonstah]

I'm single with no kids and currently have medicaid and formerly had SNAP. I was only eligible for SNAP during M1 & M2 because I had a work study job; my friends who didn't work and tried to apply were denied. As soon as I began my M3 year and stopped working, the benefits were stopped. Medicaid was a much easier approval process, I just showed them proof that I have no income and that was enough. I'm over 26 so remaining on my parent's insurance wasn't an option and our school insurance is like 2K for the year, so medicaid saves me money considering how infrequently I go to the doctor.

Hi, sorry but how do you prove that you have no income? I'm trying to apply for PA Medicaid as a OoS student because my parents' insurance doesn't cover me there. I applied on healthcare.gov and got a card from PA lol. Probably going to call someone this week to set stuff up. This stuff is so confusing!