What are Bay State CAP benefits and how can SSI recipients get them?

Bay State CAP is a "Consolidated Application Project"— a joint demonstration project of the Massachusetts DTA and the Social Security Administration (SSA) started in 2005.

How Bay State CAP works

When you apply for SSI— or when your SSI benefits are re-determined by SSA— the SSA Claims Representative should ask you if you want SNAP/food stamp benefits and then send this information to DTA electronically. DTA uses the information from your SSI application/ recertification to calculate your Bay State CAP benefits. 106 C.M.R. § 366.910.

Who qualifies for Bay State CAP

For SSA to take a Bay State CAP application, you must be either filing an application for SSI or be an SSI recipient, and meet the following:

• Be 18 years old or older and unmarried (single, divorced, separated),
• Be living alone or living in a shared arrangement under SSI rules,
• Purchase and prepare food separately from others you live with,
• Not have any earnings in addition to your SSI income (once approved for Bay State CAP, you can stay on the program as long as you have earnings for less than three consecutive months), and
• Not be permanently disqualified from the SNAP/food stamp program (for example, because of past fraud).
  
  See 106 C.M.R. §§ 366.900-366.910.

If you are applying for SSI benefits and your SSI will be approved within 30 days, SSA should take a Bay State CAP application. If your SSI case will take more than 30 days to process, (it often does), you may be better off applying for regular SNAP/food stamp benefits. You can apply for regular benefits at the Social Security office or DTA. See Can I apply for food stamp/SNAP benefits at the local Social Security office?

If you need emergency food or cash benefits, you should apply at the DTA office. See Can I get emergency SNAP/food stamp benefits? Once your SSI is approved, SSA should contact you and ask about SNAP/food stamp and Bay State CAP benefits.

Why getting Bay State CAP benefits can be easier

Getting Bay State CAP can be easier than applying for regular SNAP/food stamps for a couple of important reasons:

• You don't have to contact DTA to get the benefits.
• You only need to answer three questions:
  
  1. Do you want food stamps?,
  2. Do you purchase and prepare separately from others?,
  3. What are your shelter costs?
• You don't have to provide any more proof than you already gave SSA.
• You don't have to recertify (reapply) for three years and you only have to report changes (if you moved or get a job) to SSA, not DTA.

Bay State CAP recipients often receive the same benefit amount as regular SNAP/food stamp benefits. Sometimes the regular SNAP can be higher— it depends on the amount of your shelter costs and if you have out-of-pocket medical expenses. MLRI's SNAP/ Food Stamps calculator will calculate both Bay State CAP and regular SNAP/food stamp benefits to see which is more.

Additional Policy Guidance on Bay State CAP