Government Benefits in Pennsylvania

Where Pennsylvania residents apply for SNAP, Medicaid, home energy assistance, and unemployment insurance, plus every nationwide program available to everyone.

4 Pennsylvania Programs

How This Works

SNAP, Medicaid, LIHEAP, and unemployment insurance are all administered at the state level, so each state runs its own application portal and sets some of its own rules — including, for Medicaid, whether the state expanded eligibility to more adults under the Affordable Care Act, and for unemployment insurance, the maximum weekly benefit and how long you can collect it. The cards below link you straight to Pennsylvania's official application system for each program. Exact SNAP/Medicaid income limits change with annual poverty-guideline updates, so we intentionally don't publish a specific number for those — the portal will show your exact cutoff for your household size. Unemployment insurance figures below are official published caps from the U.S. Department of Labor, current as of January 2026.

SNAP

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

COMPASS also handles Medical Assistance, LIHEAP, and other DHS programs in one application.

Apply on COMPASS ↗

Medical Assistance (Medicaid)

Medicaid Expanded

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid in 2015, so adults 19-64 can qualify based on income alone.

Apply on COMPASS ↗

LIHEAP (Home Energy Assistance)

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

LIHEAP is seasonal (opens in fall/winter) — check COMPASS for the current application window.

Apply on COMPASS ↗

Unemployment Insurance

Has Waiting Week

PA Dept. of Labor & Industry

Max Weekly

$605 ($613 with dependents)

Min Weekly

$68

Max Duration

up to 26 weeks

One of three states where employees also contribute to UI funding.

File a Claim ↗

Looking for more programs available to Pennsylvania residents?

Pennsylvania residents also qualify for every nationwide program on our full benefits tool — WIC, Lifeline phone/internet discounts, ACA health insurance subsidies, SSI, SSDI, Section 8, VA disability compensation, TANF, Pell Grants, Head Start, and unemployment insurance.

See All 16 Programs →