NH DHHS BFA Form 800 Application for Assistance: Filing and Interview

New Hampshire’s BFA Form 800 is the single application the Department of Health and Human Services uses for food, medical, cash, and child care assistance, and you complete it by gathering your household and financial documents, filling out both Form 800 and its required medical insert, and submitting them online through NH EASY, by mail, or in person at a district office.¹ Most of the work happens before you write anything on the form. Missing verification is the top reason applications stall, so pulling documents together first will save you weeks.

What Form 800 Covers

One application, several programs. You check the boxes for whichever ones you want, and a single eligibility interview handles all of them.

SNAP — monthly grocery benefits on an EBT card. New Hampshire uses expanded categorical eligibility, so gross income can reach 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines: about $2,609 per month for one person, $5,359 for a household of four.²³
Medicaid and Granite Advantage — Medicaid for children, pregnant women, and people with disabilities; Granite Advantage for low-income adults under 133 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.⁴
Financial Assistance to Needy Families (FANF) — cash benefits for families with dependent children who lack parental support due to death, absence, or disability. The resource limit is $1,000 at application, $5,000 for current recipients.⁵⁶
Old Age Assistance (OAA) — a state supplement for residents 65 or older.⁷
Child Care Scholarship Assistance — help paying for child care while you work or train.¹

Check only the programs you actually want. Each is evaluated under its own rules.

You Actually Need Two Forms

This trips people up. DHHS requires you to file Form 800 together with a second document called the “Medical Assistance for Children, Pregnant Women, and Parent/Caretaker Relative” insert, sometimes labeled the Form 800 Insert.¹ Both are on the DHHS website and at district offices. Even if you’re not applying for medical coverage, the department’s instructions say to complete both. Sending only one can slow your application down.

What to Gather Before You Start

DHHS publishes a companion pamphlet, Form 800V, that lists exactly what counts as acceptable proof for every category on the application.⁸ Pull as much of the following as you can before you sit down with Form 800.

Identity and Household

Full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number for every household member who is applying. People living with you who are not applying don’t need to provide a Social Security number. Non-citizens applying for benefits (other than those seeking only Emergency Medicaid) must provide USCIS documentation of qualified status.⁹

Income

For earned income, bring four weeks of current, consecutive pay stubs or a completed BFA Form 756 signed by your employer. Self-employed applicants need a profit-and-loss worksheet or a Schedule C.⁸ Unearned income covers Social Security, pensions, child support, unemployment compensation, veterans’ benefits, workers’ compensation, and interest or dividend income. You’ll need proof of each source.

Resources and Property

Current account statements showing balances for checking, savings, CDs, IRAs, 401(k)s, stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.⁸ Disclose any real property beyond your primary home, plus every vehicle with year, make, model, and estimated market value.

Shelter and Utilities

SNAP calculations factor in housing costs, so the form asks for rent or mortgage, property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and utility bills. A recent rent receipt, lease, mortgage statement, or utility bill works. These deductions can raise your monthly SNAP amount noticeably, so don’t leave them blank.

How to Submit

Three options:

Online at nheasy.nh.gov. The portal walks you through the questions and gives you a confirmation of receipt.¹⁰
By mail. Print Form 800 and the Form 800 Insert, complete both, and send them to your local district office.¹
In person at any of the 11 district offices: Berlin, Claremont, Concord, Conway, Keene, Laconia, Littleton, Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, or Rochester.¹¹

Your application date is the date the district office receives the completed form, not the date you signed it.⁹ That date starts the clock on every processing deadline that follows. For help completing the form, call DHHS at 1-844-ASK-DHHS (1-844-275-3447).

The Eligibility Interview

Once your application is in, a caseworker schedules an interview by phone or in person to verify what you wrote, clear up any discrepancies, and tell you if anything is still missing.¹² SNAP and cash assistance require an interview. If you’re applying only for Medicaid under a MAGI-related group (most children, pregnant women, and Granite Advantage applicants), you can often be approved on the paperwork alone. If the caseworker determines there’s no potential eligibility for anything you applied for, the application may be denied without an interview.

If You Need Food Help Right Away

Households in a food emergency can qualify for expedited SNAP, which delivers benefits within 7 calendar days of the application date instead of the standard 30.¹³ You qualify if your household has less than $100 in available resources and less than $150 in gross monthly income, or if combined monthly income and resources fall below your rent or mortgage plus utilities.

When it looks like you qualify, DHHS tries to interview you the same day you file, or the next business day at the latest.¹² If you’re mailing your application, write “EXPEDITED” at the top or mention it when DHHS calls to schedule.

How Long a Decision Takes

Timing depends on the program:

SNAP: Notice of Decision within 30 calendar days of the application date, or 7 days for expedited cases.¹⁴
Most Medicaid categories: 45 calendar days. This covers MAGI-related groups, Granite Advantage, Old Age Assistance, and several Medicare-related categories.¹⁵
Disability-related Medicaid: 90 calendar days for Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled, nursing facility services, and home and community-based care, because those require a separate disability determination.¹⁵

The Notice of Decision arrives by mail and tells you the outcome for each program you applied for. Approved SNAP recipients get an EBT card and PIN mailed separately. Cash benefit recipients choose between EBT and direct deposit to a bank account.²

If You’re Denied

You have 30 days from the date of the action to request an administrative fair hearing, and you can do it orally or in writing.¹⁶ If you already receive benefits and appeal within 15 days of the Notice of Decision, you can ask that benefits continue at the same level while the appeal is pending. That protection ends on day 15, and if the original decision is upheld you’ll have to repay any benefits received during the appeal.¹⁷

1
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Apply for Assistance
2
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Electronic Benefits Transfer
3
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Table E: SNAP Maximum Monthly Income Limits (FSM)
4
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. BFA Program Net Monthly Income Limits
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New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Cash Assistance
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New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. DHHS Fact Sheet
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New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Old Age Assistance
8
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. BFA Form 800V – Examples of Acceptable Proofs
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New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. BFA Form 800 – Application for Assistance
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New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. NH EASY – Gateway to Services
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New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Locations and Facilities
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New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. 109.01 Filing an Application (MAM)
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New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. What is SNAP? What Are the Eligibility Requirements
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New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. 117 Application Processing Time Frames
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New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. 113 Application Processing Time Frames (MAM)
16
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 126-A:5 – Powers and Duties of the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services
17
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Administrative Appeals