Adult Financial Assistance

There are several ways to apply. After you have applied, we will contact you for a required interview.

Electronically:

• Apply online at Colorado PEAK

By phone:

• Contact the Hunger Free Colorado hotline at 855-855-4626

Paper:

• Print, complete and sign a paper application and;
  • Mail it to our office at 4400 Castleton Court, Castle Rock, CO 80109
  • Drop it off at our office Monday-Friday between 8:00am and 5:00pm or anytime using the secure drop box in front of our office
  • Fax it to 877-285-8988
  • Email it to [email protected]

To qualify for the AND or AB program benefits, you must meet these eligibility requirements:

• Must be 18-59 years of age for AND
• Must be under 60 for AB
• Must be a citizen of the United States, a naturalized citizen, or an eligible legal resident
• Must be a resident of Colorado and Douglas County
• Complete the Authorization for Reimbursement of Interim Assistance form
• Must apply for SSI at Social Security Administration
• Complete the Authorization for Reimbursement of Interim Assistance form (IM-14).
• Must meet the income and resource limits
• Be certified by a Colorado licensed doctor as being disabled for at least six months without the ability to do any kind of work
  • For AND, print the doctor’s form, the Med 9 and take it to your doctor to be completed
  • For AB, print the AB 5 and take it to your optometrist or ophthalmologist to be completed

Income cannot exceed $248 per month.

• Examples of countable income include Social Security benefits, SSI, Veteran’s Assistance, retirement pension, disability benefits, wages, etc. (This is not a comprehensive list of countable income)

Resources/assets must be valued at $2,000 or less for an individual or $3,000 for a married couple.

• Examples of countable resources include cash, checking or savings accounts, certificates of deposit, vehicles, recreational vehicles, secondary property, stocks, bonds, investment retirement accounts, burial contracts or life insurance policies. (This is not a comprehensive list of countable resources/assets)

• An individual is only eligible for the AND program for a maximum of 12 cummulative months in a lifetime with a primary diagnosis of alcoholism or controlled substance addiction on the Med 9 form.
• The client shall agree to treatment for addiction to be eligible for AND-SO.
• The client shall sign the Referral Form for Treatment of Alcoholism or Drug Abuse and the Consent for Release of Confidential Alcohol or Drug Treatment forms.
• Upon consent, the county department shall refer the client to an assessment/treatment agency licensed by the State Department’s Office of Behavioral Health. The assessment/treatment agencies licensed by the State Department’s Office of Behavioral Health can be found here.
• The client shall agree to a defined treatment program by the licensed agency.

The Aid to the Needy Disabled and Aid to the Blind programs require that eligibility be reviewed periodically. You will be mailed a packet or notified by PEAK that it is time for you to complete your application through their site.

You must complete, sign, and return the packet to our office by the date listed on the paperwork. The packet and verification can be completed and uploaded into PEAK.

Or, you can return it using one of the following methods:

• Mail it to our office at 4400 Castleton Court, Castle Rock, CO 80109
• Drop it off at our office Monday-Friday between 8:00am and 5:00pm or anytime using the secure drop box in front of our office
• Fax it to 877-285-8988
• Email it to [email protected]

An interview may be required to be completed at redetermination. Verification of current income, employment termination, or other items may be required at redetermination.

You will be mailed a notice or notified to check your PEAK account for the status of the redetermination once it has been completed.

Changes

There are several ways to report changes:

Electronically:

• Online at Colorado PEAK

By phone:

• Contact our office at 303-688-4825

By mail or in office:

• • Visit our office Monday-Friday between 8:00am and 5:00pm
  • Mail verification of change or change report to our office at 4400 Castleton Court, Castle Rock, CO 80109
  • Fax change report or verification of changes to 877-285-8988, be sure to include your name and case number or Social Security Number
  • Email change report or verification of changes to [email protected], be sure to include your name and case number or Social Security Number

Questions

If you have questions about your case, you can:

• Utilize the PEAK Chatbot
• Call our office at 303-688-4825
• Visit our office

Our office is located at:
4400 Castleton Court
Castle Rock, CO 80109
Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm

How do I access my benefits?

Benefits are issued on an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. It looks like a bank card and can be used at any authorized store  that has the EBT or Quest Card logo.

You can pick up an EBT card at our office Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00am and 4:30pm. Our address is 4400 Castleton Court, Castle Rock, CO 80109. Or, your EBT card can be mailed to the address you have on file. You can call our office with additional questions, 303-688-4825.

Benefits are deposited into the EBT account on the same day each month, even it if falls on a weekend or holiday. A personal identification number (PIN) is required to access benefits on the EBT account. The PIN is set by the cardholder and is what keeps the benefits safe. The EBT card does not have an expiration date.

Checking Balance

The easiest way to know your account balance is to keep your receipts. If you don’t have your receipts, you may check your balance via the Cardholder Portal or by calling EBT Customer Service at 1.888.328.2656 (1.800.659.2656 – TTY). Save the EBT Customer Service number to your phone contacts, as it can be useful in the future if you need to order a replacement and check your balance.

Lost or stolen card?

If your EBT card is lost, stolen or damaged, call EBT Customer Service at 1.888.328.2656 (1.800.659.2656 — TTY) to report it and order a new card. This is an automated number that will request your 16-digit card number; if you do not have the card number, hold on the line for additional options.

If you misplaced your EBT card and want time to look for it, you can freeze your EBT to prevent new purchases, PIN changes and ATM transactions. You can freeze and unfreeze your card at any time by:

• Logging into the ebtEDGE mobile app
• Logging into the Cardholder Portal

If you cannot locate the card:

• Call EBT Customer Service at 1.888.328.2656 (1.800.659.2656 — TTY) to order a replacement card; or
• Contact your local county office to obtain a replacement card

Reset PIN

• Call EBT Customer Service at 1.888.328.2656 or 1.800.659.2656 (TTY) and follow the prompts to change your PIN.
• You can also manage your EBT account online including updating your PIN via the Cardholder Portal.

Prohibited Use

Your Colorado EBT card can be used for purchasing groceries and withdrawing cash from ATMs, but there are several types of places where EBT card usage is strictly prohibited. Click here for more information.

Withdrawing Cash from the Card

Cash can be used at any authorized retailer to make a purchase, get cash back with a purchase or to withdraw funds from an ATM with the EBT or Quest logo. There is a 32-cent fee each time you withdraw cash from an ATM; any additional ATM surcharge may apply.

Some retailers may allow cash withdrawals by going to the customer service desk.

Cash Assistance Direct Deposit

You can have your cash assistance direct deposited into your bank account, please use the Direct Deposit form to enroll.

If you wish to stop having your cash assistance deposited into an account or need to change it to a different account, you will need to complete the Client Direct Deposit form.

KeyBank Prepaid Debit Card

If you would like to have your cash assistance deposited onto a KeyBank debit card, review and complete the Client KeyBank Enrollment form.

For questions on managing the KeyBank debit card account, please contact Key2Benefits Customer Support directly (you cannot go into a KeyBank branch for assistance). More information is available in English or Spanish.

Protecting your EBT Benefits

Are you traveling out of state with a Colorado EBT card?   To ensure that Colorado EBT cardholders do not lose benefits due to card cloning, Colorado may block transactions in cities/states where fraud has taken place.  Please visit Colorado EBT for more information about which cities/states are being blocked.  If the city/state you are traveling to is blocked, please call 1-800-536-5298 before you leave.  The Colorado EBT program can help unblock your card for use.

How can you protect yourself?

• The most important way is to change your PIN often, as skimming devices can easily identify card and PIN information.
• Avoid using high-risk PINS that may be easily identified such as 1234, 1111, etc., or a number sequence known to others, such as year of birth.  Do not share your PIN with anyone.  Scammers pose as other people and ask for PINs, threatening a stop in benefits.  We will never ask for your PIN.

 Did you know

You can now “freeze” your EBT card status to stop new purchases or PIN changes simply by logging into the ebtEDGE mobile app from your smartphone, or by logging into the Cardholder Portal.  A “Protect My Account” feature for EBT cardholders has also been implemented.  This will allow you to set up restrictions to protect your EBT benefits such as blocking out-of-state and/or internet transactions.

If you are concerned or believe your card may be at-risk, change your PIN immediately.  If you still have concerns, please call 1-888-328-2656 or visit your local county office to report your card stolen.