BFA Form 800 New Hampshire: How to Apply for Assistance

You're raising a grandchild or relative's child in New Hampshire, and you've heard about cash grants, food help, and health coverage — but every program seems to have its own form. The relief: BFA Form 800 is the single application that covers almost everything.

What Form 800 Covers

BFA Form 800, officially titled "Application for Assistance," is the intake form for four programs at once:

• FANF cash assistance (including child-only grants for relative caregivers)
• SNAP (food benefits, formerly food stamps)
• Children's Medicaid (health coverage for the child)
• NH Child Care Scholarship (childcare subsidies)

When you're applying for Medicaid for a child, pregnant woman, or parent/caretaker relative, you also need the Form 800 Insert — a supplemental page that goes with Form 800. If you only need health coverage and nothing else, you can file BFA Form 800MA instead, which is a streamlined medical-only application.

Four Ways to File

You can submit Form 800 through any of these channels:

Online: Log into NH EASY at nheasy.nh.gov. This is the state's digital portal for benefits applications. You can start, save, and return to your application.

By mail or fax: Download Form 800 from the DHHS website or request a paper copy from your local BFA District Office. Complete it and mail or fax it to the office serving your county.

By phone: Call the DHHS Customer Service Center at 1-844-ASK-DHHS (1-844-275-3447). A representative can take your application over the phone.

In person: Walk into any BFA District Office. Staff can help you complete the form on the spot.

File First, Gather Documents Later

This is the most important thing to understand about Form 800: you don't need every document ready before you submit. Once BFA receives a form with your name, address, and signature, your protected application date is established. That date matters, but each program has its own effective-date rule. For SNAP, benefits are based on the date the District Office receives your completed application.

After filing, BFA sends a Notice of Required Verification listing exactly what they need. You get 10 days to submit the missing proof. If you can't locate a primary document, ask your caseworker about alternatives — BFA accepts substitute documents for most verification categories.

What to Bring (When You Have It)

For a relative caregiver applying on behalf of a child:

For the child: birth certificate, Social Security card (or proof you've applied for one), proof of citizenship or qualified immigration status, and documentation of any child income (survivor benefits, child support, pension payments, or SSI).

For you: proof of New Hampshire residency (utility bill, lease, or mail at your address), documentation showing your relationship to the child (birth certificates showing the chain of relation, or a court order), and your own income documentation (needed for SNAP, since SNAP counts the whole household's income when meals are shared).

If you need the Medicaid Insert: the child's health information and any existing insurance details.

Processing Timelines

Each program on Form 800 has its own clock:

• SNAP: 30 days (7 calendar days for expedited SNAP if the household qualifies)
• FANF cash: 45 days
• Medicaid: 45 days for MAGI-based coverage
• Child Care Scholarship: 30 days

BFA schedules an eligibility interview within 15 to 19 days of your filing date. For phone or in-office interviews, have your documents organized by category — it speeds up the process and reduces callbacks.

The Authorized Representative Option

If you can't handle the application yourself — or if someone out of state is helping coordinate — BFA Form 778 (Authorized Representative Declaration) lets another adult act on your behalf. The representative can complete forms, attend interviews, submit documents, and receive notices. They cannot share your NH EASY login credentials — access must go through the official representative designation.

After You're Approved

Benefits arrive electronically. FANF cash comes by direct deposit or EBT card. SNAP loads onto the same EBT card. Medicaid coverage activates through a state-contracted managed care plan.

You'll need to complete a redetermination every 6 to 12 months (Form 800R). If you receive cash, child care, or Medical Assistance, or your SNAP certification period is not 4, 5, or 6 months, report changes in eligibility factors within 10 calendar days. SNAP-only households with 4-, 5-, or 6-month certification periods only need to report changes that would put household income above 130% of the poverty level.

If your case gets closed because you missed a redetermination, BFA can reopen it without a new application if you submit the paperwork within 30 days of closure.

The complete New Hampshire kinship financial help guide covers every program available to relative caregivers, with document checklists and tracking worksheets to keep everything organized from first filing through renewals.

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