Function

• The Colorado food assistance program provides eligible families with an Electronic Benefit Transfer or EBT card that you can use in grocery stores to purchase items like produce, dairy products, bread, meat and canned goods. During the checkout process, you swipe your EBT card, enter your PIN number on the terminal and receive a receipt showing your remaining benefit balance for the month.
  
  

Application Procedure

• The Colorado food assistance application asks questions regarding your household income, members of your household, any criminal convictions that involved food stamp fraud, monthly expenses including your rent or mortgage payment, child support or alimony obligations and financial assets. You must also provide photo documentation like a driver's license and documentation supporting your citizenship status.
  
  

Income Eligibility

• In order to receive food assistance benefits in Colorado, your gross monthly household income must meet income limits determined by the Colorado Department of Human Services. As of April 2010, a two-person household cannot bring in more than $1,579 in gross income per month, while a five-person household can not earn more than $2,794 in monthly gross income in order to qualify for the Colorado food assistance program.
  
  

Processing Times

• If your food assistance program application is approved, you will receive benefits within 30 days of the date your application was received. In emergency situations, expedited application approval may occur and you will begin receiving benefits within seven days of the date a state representative received your application.
  
  

Benefit Amounts

• The monthly amount of food assistance benefits you can qualify for depends on the number of people living in your household. For example, a two-person household could receive $367 in monthly food assistance benefits while a five-person household could receive $793 in monthly food assistance benefits as of April 2010, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services.
  
  

Considerations

• Any unused food assistance benefits carry over into the next month's benefit balance. You cannot use your EBT card to purchase items like tobacco products, alcohol, sundries, household cleaning products, pet products, prescriptions or over-the-counter medicine, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services.