Food Stamps Schedule: West Virginia SNAP Goes Out on These Dates in February

Josephine Nesbit
Edwin Tan / iStock.com
Edwin Tan / iStock.com

Food stamps, now called SNAP, supplements the food budgets of low-income households nationwide. The program is administered by the WV Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) in the state of West Virginia. Benefits are distributed monthly to Mountain State Cards, the state’s version of the EBT card, based on the first letter of your last name.

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SNAP eligibility is based on household size, income, assets and some household expenses. According to the West Virginia DHHR, most people must pass a gross income test and net income test; however, certain deductions are applied to income. Households with an elderly or disabled person receive special consideration.

To apply for SNAP in West Virginia, visit the DHHR’s WV PATH system. You can also print out a SNAP application and submit the completed form to your DHHR county office.

SNAP benefits are deposited onto Mountain State Cards from the first of the month through the ninth, based on the first letter of your last name, while cash benefits go out on the first of the month. Deposits are typically made between midnight and 8:00 a.m. If funds do not show in your account, contact your worker or the DHHR Customer Service Center at 1-877-716-1212.

Here is the February 2023 deposit schedule for SNAP in West Virginia:

Last name’s first letter is:

Benefits available:

B,X,Y, or Z

Feb. 1st

C or F

Feb. 2nd

H,N, or V

Feb. 3rd

I,M,O, or U

Feb. 4th

Q or S

Feb. 5th

A or W

Feb. 6th

J,K, or P

Feb. 7th

D,E, or R

Feb. 8th

G,L, or T

Feb. 9th

The Mountain State Card can be used at most grocery stores and some retail stores as well as participating farmers’ markets. With SNAP Stretch, you can double your purchasing power or even triple when you bring a child.  Visit the West Virginia Farmers’ Markets Locator to find markets participating in SNAP and SNAP Stretch.

You can use SNAP benefits to purchase the following food items:

  • Fruits and vegetables

  • Meat, poultry and fish

  • Dairy products

  • Breads and cereals

  • Snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages

  • Seeds and plants, which produce food for the household to eat

Federal guidelines prohibit the use of SNAP to purchase alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, vitamins, medicines, supplements, live animals and non-food items. In West Virginia, you also can’t use your Mountain State Card to buy hot meals served in restaurants because it is not among the states that participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Restaurant Meals Program.

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Mountain State Cards come with other benefits, like discounts on certain products and services. SNAP recipients can sign up for an Amazon Prime EBT discounted subscription for $6.99 per month or sign up for the Federal Lifeline Program for free or reduced prices on cell phone or landline service. Your Mountain State Card can also be used for free or discounted admission to hundreds of museums, aquariums and zoos nationwide.

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