3.8.1 Elderly, Blind, or Disabled (EBD) Individuals

3.8.1.1 EBD Introduction
3.8.1.2 Disabled Veterans

3.8.1.1 EBD Introduction

7 CFR 271.2

For FoodShare, an elderly, blind or disabled person meets one or more of the following criteria:

Is age 60 years or older.
Receives disability or blindness benefits from any of these programs: Social Security Administration (SSA), Elderly, Blind or Disabled Medicaid (EBD MA), Social Security Income (SSI) or SSI-related MA, Railroad Retirement Board (RRB). A person certified for SSI-related MA is disabled until they or the Disability Determination Bureau (DDB) report they are no longer disabled.
Receives a Veteran's Assistance (VA) payment and meets one of the criteria listed in Section 3.8.1.2 Disabled Veterans.
Receives a disability retirement benefit from a governmental agency because of a disability considered permanent under section 221(i) of the Social Security Act (Social Security Act requirements of disabled).
- This includes the disability payment paid out from governmental employee trust fund (ETF) accounts, such as, Wisconsin ETF Disability Payments. However, it does not include income continuation payments which may be paid by the same ETF accounts. This level of disability is usually short term and not permanent.

If a person is certified as disabled or blind by one of the above agencies, but has not received the initial benefit, consider them disabled.

A person receiving retirement benefits from the RRBRailroad Retirement Board and found eligible for Medicare by the RRBRailroad Retirement Board is disabled. A person who receives general assistance and meets the SSI program disability criteria is also disabled.

Under certain specific circumstances a person and their spouse who are both elderly and/or disabled may be a separate food unit even if they are living and eating with others (see Section 5.2.1 FS-E for rules related to FoodShare-E eligibility).

3.8.1.2 Disabled Veterans

The definition of a disabled veteran is:

A veteran with a disability rated by the VAVeterans Affairs as total or paid as total by the VA, or
A veteran or surviving spouseA person recognized by Wisconsin law as another person's legal husband or wife. Wisconsin does not recognize common law marriage. of a veteran considered by the VA to be in need of regular aid and attendance or permanently housebound, or
A surviving childA person's biological, step, or adopted son or daughter, regardless of age. If a child is adopted, the adoption severs the biological tie to the parent. of a veteran and considered by the VA to be permanently incapable of self-support, or
A surviving spouse or a surviving child of a veteran and considered by the VA to be entitled to compensation for a service-connected death or pension benefits for a non-service-connected death and has a disability considered permanent by SSASocial Security Administration.

This page last updated in Release Number: 23-02
Release Date: 08/14/2023
Effective Date: 08/14/2023