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142 (07/2026) Chapter 2:Eligibility • Section 2: Eligibility groups • Parents and their children, unless the child is 22 or older.
When a child under the age of 22 is living with their parents and applying for benefits separately from their parents, the application should not be denied. Instead, the child’s application is pended for the parent’s information using a DHS 0210. • Children under age 18 who live with an adult who is not their parent, but the adult has parental control. Parental control means:
The adult is responsible for the care, control and supervision of the child, or
The child is financially dependent on the adult. Financial dependence would be when the adult is paying for the child’s daily expenses such as clothing, medical, education or spiritual needs. A person who received SNAP benefits in the month of application in another benefit group is excluded from the new filing group. If necessary, they can be excluded for a maximum of two months due to notice requirements unless the person was head of household in the other case. Even if the head of household received SNAP in another state, this is considered an ongoing case. If the person received SNAP this month as head of household, benefits are denied for the entire filing group. Students of higher education Students of higher education who do not meet the eligible student criteria cannot be in the filing group. Only students of higher education who meet special student eligibility criteria or who are under age 18 or are age 50 or older can be included in the filing group. Students of higher education residing in a dormitory or other on-campus housing with meal plans that are intended to provide more than 50 percent of their three daily, or 21 weekly meals, are not eligible for SNAP. Determine how many of the 21 meals a week the student’s meal plan is intended to provide. Click here for Students of higher education. Residents of institutions Overview Residents of institutions that provide more than 50% of daily meals are ineligible for SNAP benefits unless they meet one of the following five exceptions: 1. Residents of federally subsidized housing for the elderly built under either Section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 or Section 236 of the National Housing Act, 2. Residents of a facility or treatment center with the purpose of regular participation in a drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation program, 3. Residents of a Group Living Arrangement (GLA) who are blind or disabled and receiving benefits under Title I, Title II, Title X, Title XIV or Title XVI of the Social Security Act (SSI, SSB, SSD), 4. Residents of a domestic violence shelter, and