The Delaware 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 Chester and Darby.
Table of Contents:
- Delaware County Assistance Benefits
- Delaware County Assistance Office Locations
- Phone Number for County Assistance Office
- How to Apply for Pennsylvania Assistance Benefits
- Delaware County Food Stamps FAQs
Delaware County Assistance Benefits
The Delaware 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 Delaware 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
Delaware County Assistance Office Locations
There are 9 DHS County Assistance office locations in Delaware County PA.
You can visit a Delaware 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.
Delaware County Assistance Office Headquarters
701 Crosby Street, Suite A
Chester, PA 19013-6099
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 610-447-5500
FAX: 610-447-5399
Crosby District
701 Crosby Street, Suite A
Chester, PA 19013-6099
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 610-447-5500
FAX: 610-447-5399
Darby District
845 Main Street
Darby, PA 19023
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 610-461-3800
FAX: 610-461-3900
For a complete list of all the DHS County Assistance Offices in Pennsylvania, use our Pennsylvania County Assistance Location finder.
Phone Number for Delaware County Assistance Office
For more help with your benefits, contact the Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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
Delaware County Food Stamps FAQs
Here are the most frequently asked questions about food stamps in Delaware County, PA.
What Grocery Stores accept EBT in Delaware County?
There are over 921 stores that take Food Stamps in Delaware County, PA – including those that take EBT online.
This includes the following stores:
- 7-Eleven
- Acme Market
- Aldi
- BJ’s Wholesale Club
- CVS Pharmacy
- Dollar General
- Dollar Tree
- Family Dollar Store
- Pantry 1 Food Mart
- Produce Junction
- Rite Aid
- Royal Farms
- Save-A-Lot
- Shoprite
- Swiss Farm Stores
- Target
- Trader Joe’s
- Walgreens
- Walmart
- Wawa
For the complete list, see our post on Stores that take SNAP EBT in Delaware County.
What are the requirements for Seniors to get SNAP?
It is now easier for seniors in Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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.
What other Food Assistance Programs are Available to Families?
In addition to the food stamps program, the following government-funded food assistance programs are available to eligible low-income households in Pennsylvania.
National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Programs
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) operates in public and private schools, providing nutritionally balanced meals each school day.
Any child at a participating school may purchase a meal through the National School Lunch Program.
To be eligible for free meals, children must be from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level.
For a family of three, 130% of the poverty level is $2,494, which is $29,939 a year.
Those with incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced-price meals, for which students can be charged no more than 40 cents.
Below are the national poverty levels by household size for 2022/2023 for 130% and 185%.
| Federal Poverty Levels – 3/2022-3/2023 | ||
| Family Size: | 130% | 185% |
| 1 | $1,473 | $2,095 |
| 2 | $1,983 | $2,823 |
| 3 | $2,494 | $3,550 |
| 4 | $3,006 | $4,278 |
| 5 | $3,517 | $5,006 |
| 6 | $4,028 | $5,733 |
| 7 | $4,540 | $6,461 |
| 8 | $5,051 | $7,189 |
| Each add’l person, add: | $511 | $727 |
Additionally, The School Breakfast Program (SBP) operates in public and private schools, providing nutritionally balanced food each school day.
Research shows that children who eat breakfast score better on tests, show improved learning skills and memory retention, and have lower rates of tardiness and absenteeism.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children (WIC)
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) safeguards the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk.
The program provides nutritious foods, nutrition and breastfeeding education, and healthcare access in order to safeguard low-income women, infants, and children dealing with, or at risk of developing nutrition-related health problems.
WIC works to prevent child health problems and to improve a child’s growth and development by providing support during a critical period of life.
Eligibility is limited to families with incomes up to 185 percent of the poverty level.
However, WIC is not an entitlement program – it can only serve as many people as it has funding available.
Funding is set each year through the annual appropriations process.
Delaware 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 Delaware 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