Government Benefits in Washington
Where Washington residents apply for SNAP, Medicaid, home energy assistance, and unemployment insurance, plus every nationwide program available to everyone.
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 Washington'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.
Basic Food (SNAP)
WA Dept. of Social and Health Services
The same application also covers Apple Health (Medicaid) and cash assistance.
Apple Health (Medicaid)
Medicaid ExpandedWA Health Care Authority
Washington expanded Medicaid, so adults without dependent children can qualify based on income alone.
LIHEAP (Home Energy Assistance)
WA Department of Commerce
Administered by local community action agencies — Commerce routes you to the provider for your area.
Unemployment Insurance
Has Waiting WeekWA Employment Security Dept.
Max Weekly
$1,152 (resets each July — may be higher now)
Min Weekly
$366
Max Duration
up to 26 weeks
The highest maximum benefit in the US. The cap resets every July, so confirm the current figure on ESD's site.
Looking for more programs available to Washington residents?
Washington 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 →