To fill out Form PA 600R, work through it in the order the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) laid it out: list everyone in your household, report each person’s gross income, note your resources, enter your shelter, dependent care, and medical expenses, then sign and date the bottom. Return it within 30 days of the date on your cover letter — or 90 days if you only receive SNAP — using COMPASS, mail, or your County Assistance Office.1Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. PA 600 R – Benefits Review
If You Don’t Have the Form in Front of You
DHS mails the PA 600R automatically when your review period approaches, so most people receive it without doing anything. If yours never arrived or you’ve misplaced it, you have three ways to get a replacement:
- Download it from the DHS “Apply for Benefits” page, which hosts the form in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, and other languages.2Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for Benefits
- Log in at dhs.pa.gov/COMPASS and complete the review online instead of on paper.3Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. COMPASS
- Call or visit your County Assistance Office (CAO). DHS keeps a full directory with addresses, phone numbers, and hours.4Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. County Assistance Offices (CAO)
Pull These Documents Together First
The form reviews every factor that affects eligibility, so having your paperwork ready before you start saves a round of follow-up requests from your caseworker.5Pennsylvania Code. 55 Pa. Code 133.23 – Requirements
Household Information
You’ll need the full name, date of birth, Social Security number, relationship to you, and school enrollment status for everyone living in your home. If someone has moved in or out since your last review, flag the change clearly on the form so the caseworker doesn’t have to call you to confirm.
Income Records
Report gross income — the amount before taxes and deductions — for every household member. That covers wages, Social Security, pensions, child support received, and self-employment earnings. Recent pay stubs, benefit award letters, and bank statements showing deposits during the review period all work as verification.
Resource Information
The form asks about bank accounts, stocks, and real property other than your primary home. Fill it in accurately even if you believe your household faces no resource limit for SNAP — the same information is used across cash assistance and Medicaid, which apply their own rules.6Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. SNAP Handbook – 540.1 General Policy
Expenses That Reduce Countable Income
Three categories of expenses can raise your benefit amount if you enter them correctly:
- Shelter: Rent or mortgage, property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and utility costs. Pennsylvania uses a Standard Utility Allowance, so you don’t need to produce individual electric or gas bills — just indicate that you pay utilities.
- Dependent care: Child care or care for an incapacitated adult that lets a household member work, look for work, or attend training. Transportation to the care provider counts too.
- Medical: Households with a member who is 60 or older or disabled can deduct that person’s unreimbursed medical costs over $35 a month — prescription copays, dental work, equipment, and similar out-of-pocket spending.7Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Medical Expenses Handbook
Put each figure in the section the form designates for it. The layout keeps shelter, medical, and dependent care separate, and a number dropped in the wrong box is one of the fastest ways to trigger a processing delay.
Working Through the Form
If you’re filling out a paper copy, print clearly. Answer every field rather than leaving blanks — each question is there because DHS needs that data point to run your eligibility determination.8Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. PA 600 R – Benefits Review Where a question genuinely doesn’t apply, write “N/A” instead of skipping it so the caseworker knows you didn’t overlook it.
Sign and date the bottom. Your signature certifies that everything on the form is true. Pennsylvania treats a knowingly false statement on this kind of form as unsworn falsification to authorities, a third-degree misdemeanor.9New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 18 Pa.C.S.A. 4904 – Unsworn Falsification to Authorities Report honestly and that provision never comes into play.
How to Submit It
You have three submission channels. Each creates a slightly different paper trail, and the one you pick matters if a document ever goes missing.
- Online through COMPASS: Log in at dhs.pa.gov/COMPASS or use the myCOMPASS PA mobile app to submit the review and upload supporting documents like pay stubs or medical receipts. This is the fastest route into the system.3Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. COMPASS
- By mail: Send the completed form and copies of your verification documents to the CAO listed on your cover letter. Use the prepaid envelope if one came with the form.
- In person: Hand the packet to your CAO and ask the front desk for a date-stamped receipt. That receipt is your proof of on-time filing if a dispute ever comes up.
Keep copies of everything you submit, no matter which route you use. Caseworkers carry heavy caseloads and documents occasionally go missing. Your own set lets you resubmit quickly instead of starting over.
After the Form Is In
Once the CAO logs your form, a caseworker compares what you reported against the state’s records. For cash assistance and SNAP, the review may include a renewal interview, usually by phone. If you’re asked to schedule one, respond promptly — missing the interview can stall your case as badly as a missing form.
DHS generally aims to issue a final decision within 30 days of receiving a complete package.10Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Track Your LIHEAP, Medicaid, SNAP, and TANF Applications If something is missing or unclear, you’ll receive a PA 253 listing the specific documents you still need to send in.11Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Medicaid and CHIP Recipient Communications DHS also sends a text reminder five days before a verification deadline if you’ve turned on text alerts in your myCOMPASS account.
Your written decision arrives in the mail. An approval notice confirms your new benefit amount and the length of your next certification period. A denial or reduction notice spells out the reasons and explains how to request a fair hearing.
If You Miss the Deadline
Medicaid and CHIP give you a 90-day grace period after coverage ends. If you submit your renewal within that window and you’re still eligible, coverage reopens with no gap, and you don’t have to file a new application — just return the PA 600R or the renewal packet you were sent.12Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Medicaid and CHIP Renewals13Medicaid.gov. Conducting Medicaid and CHIP Renewals During the Unwinding Period and Beyond
SNAP already gives you 90 days from the date you received the form. Go past that, and you have to reapply from scratch, which resets your certification period and can leave you without benefits for weeks. Cash assistance works the same way: a late return means a lapsed case and a new application.
If you realize you’ve missed a deadline, call your CAO right away. Caseworkers sometimes have limited flexibility depending on the circumstances, and asking is always better than assuming the case is closed.
If Your Benefits Are Reduced or Cut Off
Every adverse notice from DHS includes instructions for filing a fair hearing request, where an impartial hearing officer decides whether the agency’s action was correct.14Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Supplemental Handbook – 870.1 General Policy To keep your current benefits flowing while the appeal is pending (aid paid pending), you generally need to file the request within 15 days of the date on the notice. You can still appeal after 15 days, but your benefits may stop or drop while the appeal plays out.15Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Request a Hearing or Appeal from DHS
One trade-off to weigh: if you take aid paid pending and the hearing goes against you, the state can ask you to repay the extra benefits you received during the appeal. If you have solid evidence the caseworker got it wrong, continued benefits are usually worth the risk.