The Allegheny County Assistance Office (CAO) helps low-income families and individuals access benefits programs like SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps), TANF or Cash benefits, Home Heating, Child Care, and Long-Term Care Services. In this post, we are going to describe the CAO benefits and how to apply, plus the list of CAO office locations near you, including Pittsburgh and McKeesport.
Table of Contents:
- Allegheny County Assistance Benefits
- Allegheny County Assistance Office Locations
- Phone Number for County Assistance Office
- How to Apply for Pennsylvania Assistance Benefits
- Allegheny County Food Stamps FAQs
Allegheny County Assistance Benefits
The Allegheny County Assistance office helps people and families in need to access public assistance benefits, including SNAP or Food Stamps.
You can submit applications for benefits or renewals benefits at your local county assistance office.
Caseworkers are available at the county assistance office to help you and answer your questions in person or over the phone if the office is closed to the public.
In addition to helping with SNAP or food stamps benefits, the Allegheny County Assistance office can also help with the following benefit programs:
- Cash Assistance
- Health Care Coverage (Medical Assistance)
- Home Heating Assistance (LIHEAP)
- Family Planning Services
- Help with Child Care
- School Meals
- Long-Term Living Services
Allegheny County Assistance Office Locations
There are 9 DHS County Assistance office locations in Allegheny County PA.
You can visit a Allegheny County Assistance office to:
- Apply for Public Assistance Benefits
- Complete your interview
- Renew your Public Assistance Benefit
- Get help with your benefits, including SNAP, LIHEAP, Medicaid, and more.
Below is a list of all the County Assistance Office locations, including phone numbers and hours of operation.
Allegheny County Assistance Office Headquarters
Piatt Place
301 5th Avenue, Suite 470
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: (412) 565-2146
FAX: (412) 565-3660
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
5947 Penn Avenue, 4th Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Note: The entrance is at Kirkwood Street and North Highland Avenue
Phone: (412) 562-0330
FAX: (412) 565-0107
Alle-Kiski District
909 Industrial Boulevard
New Kensington, PA 15068-0132
Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m
Toll-Free: 1-800-622-3527
Phone: (724) 339-6800
LIHEAP: (724)832-5524
FAX: (724) 339-6850
Institution-Related Eligibility District (IRED)
301 5th Avenue, Suite 420
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Hours of Operation: 7:30 am.-5 p.m.
Phone: (412) 565-5604
FAX: (412) 565-5074
Liberty District
332 5th Avenue, Suite 300
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: (412) 565-2652
FAX: (412) 565-5088
Three Rivers District
Warner Center
332 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: (412) 565-7755
FAX: (412) 565-5198 or 5075
Southeast District
220 Sixth Street
McKeesport, PA 15132-2720
Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: (412) 664-6800 or 6801
FAX: (412) 664-5218
Southern District
332 Fifth Avenue, Suite 230
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: (412) 565-2232
FAX: (412) 770-3686 or 412-565-5713
Greater Pittsburgh East District
5947 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206-3844
Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: (412) 645-7400 or 7401
FAX: (412) 365-2821
For a complete list of all the DHS County Assistance Offices in Pennsylvania, use our Pennsylvania County Assistance Location finder.
Phone Number for Allegheny County Assistance Office
For more help with your benefits, contact the Allegheny County Food Stamps Customer Service phone number at 412) 565-2146 (Headquarters).
Customer Service representatives are available to assist you Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Customer service can help answer your questions about Pennsylvania benefits, including SNAP benefits eligibility, application, EBT Card, or any other general questions.
In addition, you can contact your local Allegheny County Assistance Office (PA DHS) or call the Pennsylvania SNAP Customer Service Center at 1-877-395-8930.
How to Apply for Pennsylvania Assistance Benefits
There are three different ways to apply for or renew your benefits in Allegheny County, PA.
Online
Use the COMPASS website. You can see if you qualify, apply for, or renew benefits all online.
To login to your COMPASS account, see our post on COMPASS account login.
Also, if you need help creating an account, see our post on How to create a COMPASS Account.
In-Person
Your local county assistance office can help answer any questions and assist you in person.
See above for office locations in Allegheny County, PA.
Paper Application
Download the appropriate paper application from the list below and mail it to the county assistance office locations listed above.
- Pennsylvania Application for Benefits(Cash Assistance, Health Care, SNAP) English
- Health Care Coverage Application — English
- SNAP Application — English
- SNAP (Simple Application) for Seniors and People with Disabilities — English
- Breast Cancer Prevention & Treatment Program Application — English
- Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities Application — English
- Benefits Review — English
- Medical Assistance Financial Eligibility Application for Long-Term Care, Supports, and Services English
Allegheny County Food Stamps FAQs
Here are the most frequently asked questions about food stamps in Allegheny County, PA.
What Grocery Stores accept EBT in Allegheny County?
There are over 921 stores that take Food Stamps in Allegheny County, PA.
This includes the following stores:
- 7-Eleven
- APlus
- Acme Market
- Aldi
- BJ’s Wholesale Club
- Big Lots
- Coen Markets
- Costco
- CVS Pharmacy
- Dollar General
- Dollar Tree
- Giant Eagle
- Gordon Food Service
- Family Dollar Store
- Just Harvest
- Kuhn’s Market
- Las Palmas
- Lidl
- Pantry 1 Food Mart
- Produce Junction
- Redners Warehouse Market
- Rite Aid
- Royal Farms
- Sams Club
- Save-A-Lot
- Shoprite
- Swiss Farm Stores
- Target
- Trader Joe’s
- Walgreens
- Walmart
- Wawa
- Weis Markets
For the complete list, see our post on Stores that take SNAP EBT in Allegheny County.
What are the requirements for Seniors to get SNAP?
It is now easier for seniors in Allegheny County, PA to Apply for Food Stamps.
The Elderly Simplified Application Process, also referred to as ESAP, makes it easier for some seniors to apply for and continue to receive SNAP benefits.
Here are some of the ways ESAP makes the SNAP application simple for seniors:
First, the application has fewer questions.
Second, very few documents are needed (often just proof of ID).
Third, the SNAP interview can be waived.
Lastly, seniors who are approved for SNAP will only need to re-certify once every three years instead of every six months.
To be eligible for ESAP, you must meet the criteria below:
- Everyone in the household is aged 60+ or receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
- No one is working and income is a fixed amount (I.e Social Security Benefits)
- Rent/Mortgage costs are “reasonable”, subsidized or fixed.
If you are age 60 or older, live in Allegheny County, and want help applying for food stamps or to see if you’re eligible here’s what you can do:
The PA DHS has contracted Just Harvest to provide free SNAP eligibility screenings and streamlined application assistance to residents of Allegheny County.
Just Harvest can help you apply for SNAP using the ESAP process, and there is no charge for their services.
Call them over the phone at (412) 431-8960 (option 3).
Can I get Amazon Prime Discount with PA SNAP?
Yes, as a Pennsylvania SNAP EBT Cardholder, you can get over 50% OFF Amazon Prime when you sign up with your EBT Card.
With the Amazon Prime EBT discount, you can get all the great benefits of Prime at a fraction of the cost.
Also, as an Amazon Prime member, you get FREE shipping on Amazon Fresh groceries.
The regular Amazon Prime monthly membership fee is $14.99. As a Pennsylvania SNAP EBT cardholder, you get Amazon Prime for $6.99 per month.
That’s more than a 50% discount on the regular membership fee.
Best of all, you can try Amazon Prime for FREE for 30 days. After 30 days, you can sign up for the SNAP EBT discount.
Click here to sign up for a FREE 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.
For just $6.99 per month you get all these EBT Amazon Prime benefits:
- One-Day FREE Shipping on millions of eligible Amazon items
- Two-Day FREE Shipping on millions of eligible Amazon items
- Access to instantly stream thousands of Free Movies & TV Shows
- Access to Unlimited FREE Prime Music streaming
- FREE 2-Hour Delivery on Prime Now items
CLICK HERE to Sign up and Save with the Amazon Prime Discount for EBT Cardholders.
Allegheny County Assistance Office Summary
We hope you found this guide on the County Assistance Office locations helpful!
If you have additional questions about how to get benefits in Allegheny County, including Pennsylvania SNAP EBT benefits, please let us know in the comments section below.
If the meantime, check out our other articles on Pennsylvania Food Stamps:
- Can you get Food Stamps in Pennsylvania without a job?
- How long will SNAP Increase last in Pennsylvania?
- PA EBT Card Discounts & Freebies
- Pennsylvania EBT Card Guide
- Pennsylvania Food Stamps FAQs
- Food Stamps Benefits in Allegheny County, PA
