Frequently Asked Questions

 
 
        1. Help to buy food. SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that used to be called Food Stamps. SNAP helps low-income people buy the food they need for good nutritional health. If you qualify for the SNAP/State Food Program, you will get an Illinois Link Card. Each month, the amount of your food benefits will be added to your Link Card account, and you can use it like a debit card to pay for food at most grocery stores.
        2. Cash Assistance. Households who qualify can receive Cash Assistance to help pay for food, shelter, utilities, and expenses other than medical costs.
        3. Health care coverage. Medicaid and All Kids cover health care for low income people of all ages in Illinois.
        4. Help to pay Medicare costs: Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) cover the cost of Medicare premiums for low income seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare. People who qualify for one of the Medicare Savings Programs do not have to use their Social Security income to pay Medicare premiums. For some people, Medicare deductibles and co-insurance charges are also covered.

        More information on these and other State of Illinois benefits programs can be found on the Department of Human Services website.
      • Each benefit is a little different but eligibility for all of the ABE benefits are based mainly on:
        1. Who lives in the household. The State needs to know the number of people who live together, their ages, and how they are related to each other. If you are applying for SNAP, we also need to know who buys food and prepares meals together.
        2. How much income each person receives. Income includes money earned from work and income from sources other than work like Social Security, unemployment benefits, or retirement benefits.
        3. For some benefits, the State needs to know about certain expenses like housing, utilities and child support as well as resources such as cash, savings or a checking account.
        4. The State also needs to know if someone is disabled or pregnant.
        5. Only people who live in Illinois can get benefits in Illinois.
        6. To qualify for benefits, Illinois residents must be citizens of the United States (U.S.) or one of the following:
          • People with qualified immigrant status, including residents who have lived in the U.S. for 5 years or more may qualify for benefits,
          • People with qualified immigrant status including refugees and asylees may qualify for benefits as qualified immigrants even if they have not lived in the U.S. for 5 years.
            • Children and pregnant women who are not U.S. citizens and who do not have a qualifying immigration status or are undocumented may still qualify for health care coverage (Medicaid or All Kids).
            • Noncitizen adults who do not meet immigration requirements but who have a serious medical condition may qualify for emergency medical benefits.

        See the Overview of Health & Medical Services for more information.

      • Eligibility is different for each program. To see if you might qualify for any of these benefits, fill out the ABE “Am I Eligible” screening tool.  The screening tool is completely private.  Nothing you enter on the tool will be submitted to the state.  The only way to know for sure what benefits you can get is to complete a full application.   Go to “Apply for Benefits” if you are ready to start an application.
      • The questions you are asked depend on the benefit you apply for. Most applicants will be asked about items from the list below. You should answer as much as you can but if you do not have the information to complete a question, you should apply anyway. We will contact you if we need more information to help us decide if you are eligible for benefits.
        • Full names and dates of birth for everyone who is applying for benefits as well as other people living in the household.
        • Social Security numbers for everyone applying for benefits. If someone has applied for a Social Security number but has not received it yet, enter the date the application for a Social Security number was made.
        • Information about all of the income received by the people living in the household. For income from a job, it is helpful to include with the application, pay stubs from the past 30 days.
        • Whether the individual(s) applying for benefits are U.S. citizens.
        • Immigration information for any person who is applying for benefits if he or she is not a U.S. citizen but is in the United States lawfully.
        • Information about the value of cash, checking and savings accounts and other resources for anyone who is applying for cash assistance or health care coverage who is age 65 or older, blind or living with a disability.
        • Amount of child or spousal support paid and the names of absent parents.
        • Amount of housing costs (rent, mortgage, property taxes).
        • Cost of monthly utility bills.
        • Amount paid for day care for a child or disabled adult so the person applying for benefits can work.
      • If you have never applied for benefits or have never used ABE to apply for benefits, begin by clicking on "Apply for Benefits" and follow these steps.
        1. You will be asked what you want to do. Select the first option "Start a new application";
        2. Click the "Next" button at the bottom of the page;
        3. At the next screen, select "Create an account";
        4. Fill out the information to create an account;
        5. Log-in to ABE using your new account information and start the application.
        If you already get benefits or you have already applied, you do not need to create an account at this time
        • From the home page, enter your user ID on the left hand side and then click the link for resetting passwords. This will bring up a page where you can complete password resets by answering your secret questions. The answers to your secret questions are case sensitive, so make sure that you are answering them EXACTLY as you did when you first answered them.
        • When something is case sensitive, it means that using a capital letter is not the same as using a small letter.  For example, ICECREAM is not the same answer as IceCream.  Be sure to write down and keep track of your user ID, password, and answers to secret questions, including whether you use any capital letters.
        • ABE Manage My Case provides customers with information about their benefits including, application status, redetermination status, recent notices and benefit amounts. Customers can also submit redeterminations and changes and request new benefit programs.
          Visit DHS ABE Customer Support Center for more information on how to manage your account using ABE Manage My Case.
          Report technical problems with ABE
        • It depends on what benefit you apply for.  It can take up to 30 days to get your SNAP benefits unless you have little or no money and you need food right away.  Then you may get SNAP benefits sooner.  It can take up to 45 days to process Cash Assistance applications.  The State strives to complete health care coverage applications within 45 days or, if eligibility is based on a disability, within 60 days.
        • If you have to wait longer than the number of days we say it should take to process your application, you can call DHS Help Line at 1-800-843-6154 (TTY: 1-800-447-6404) to check on the status of your application.
        • If you are denied health care coverage because you have too much income, you may be able to get financial help to buy health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.  We will automatically send your application for health coverage to the Marketplace and they will contact you.  You can log onto www.healthcare.gov to create a Marketplace account and shop for health insurance.  If you would like help with this process,  go to www.getcoveredillinois.gov to find a list of in-person helpers and answers to frequently asked questions.
        • If your health care coverage application was denied because we asked you for additional documents and you did not provide them by the deadline we gave you, we will not send your application to the Health Insurance Marketplace. If you send the documents to us after we made our decision but within 60 days from the date of your denial notice, we will reopen and process your application.  We will send you another notice to tell you our final decision.
        • You have the right to appeal any decision made by the state.  Your denial notice will tell you how to file an appeal.

        • ABE Manage My Case provides customers with information about their benefits including, application status, redetermination status, recent notices and benefit amounts. Customers can also submit redeterminations and changes and request new benefit programs.
          Visit DHS ABE Customer Support Center for more information on how to manage your account using ABE Manage My Case.
          Report technical problems with ABE
        • If you have little or no income, you may qualify for immediate SNAP benefits.   We will make a decision if you are eligible and contact you within a few days of your application.
        • If you need health care right away call the 1-800-843-6154 (TTY: 1-800-447-6404) and apply over the phone.  For most people who qualify, coverage is backdated so it starts on the first day of the month you apply.  In some instances, you may be able to get coverage up to 3 months prior to the date of your application.  If you are eligible for health care coverage, medical providers can send unpaid bills to Medicaid to be paid as long as you got the service after your benefits started. 
  

Official Site of The State of Illinois