SNAP Rights and Responsibilities
Your Rights and Responsibilities as a SNAP Participant
Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Apply for available benefits anytime
- Get benefits starting from your application date if you qualify
- Get help from OKDHS with your application or verification documents
- Know why your application is delayed
- Keep your personal information private
- Be treated fairly, no matter your race, color, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, political beliefs, or national origin
- Request a hearing if you disagree with a decision
- Choose someone to represent you at a hearing
Your Responsibilities
You must:
- Let OKDHS share your information with other agencies or private organizations to help you
- Let OKDHS check the information you provide
- Give documents that prove you are eligible
- Report a Change (link to new page 1) any time something changes in your life (see reporting requirements above)
- Cooperate with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and SNAP Quality Control team when asked
Penalties for Misuse and Fraud
You may lose benefits or face legal charges if you:
- Lie or give misleading information
- Hide facts or misrepresent your situation
- Use SNAP benefits to buy alcohol or tobacco
- Break SNAP rules or state laws about benefit use or trafficking
Program Violations and Penalties
What You Did |
Penalty |
General SNAP violations |
1 year (1st time), 2 years (2nd time), permanent (3rd time) |
Traded benefits for drugs |
2 years (1st time), permanent (2nd time) |
Traded benefits for guns, explosives, or trafficking over $500 |
Permanent (1st time) |
Used a false identity or address to get multiple SNAP benefits |
10-year disqualification |
You may also face fines up to $250,000, prison time up to 20 years, and prosecution under federal law.
Other Important Information
Be honest. False information can get your benefits denied and may lead to criminal charges.
We check your information. We use Social Security Numbers (SSNs) to verify income with agencies like the Social Security Administration, IRS, and Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. This helps us determine if you qualify.
Citizenship and immigration status. You are certifying that everyone you apply for is a US citizen or has lawful immigration status. You must tell us the immigration status of anyone applying, even if they are not lawfully present and only applying for emergency medical services. Lying about citizenship or immigration status can lead to federal complaints and criminal charges.
Information is verified. Federal, state, and local officials check what you report. This may affect your eligibility and benefit amount.
You must repay overpayments. If you receive too much in benefits, you are responsible for paying it back.
Work registration. Everyone in your household between ages 16 and 59 must register for work unless they qualify for an exemption. If someone refuses to register when required, they will not be included in your SNAP benefit.
Work requirements. If you don't meet work-related requirements, you may lose eligibility for a set amount of time based on how many times you don't comply.
You may be eligibleto claim certain expenses that can increase your SNAP benefits. These include medical expenses for elderly and disabled household members, and legally-binding child support.
Certain expenses can increase your benefits. You may qualify for deductions that increase your SNAP amount. These include:
- Medical expenses for elderly or disabled household members
- Court-ordered child support payments being paid
- Shelter and utility costs
- Dependent care expenses
To get these expenses, you must report the expense and verify it. If you don't report or verify it, we can't include it in your benefit calculation.
