# Helper documentation

> Use Helper to find official SNAP and energy-help pages, print a papers checklist, and save an interview date, plus how its data is sourced and how to run it.

Project page: https://dbaney.com/projects/helper/

## Use Helper

Open [Helper](https://baney75.github.io/helper/). There is no account.

1. **Find the official page.** Enter a ZIP code or pick a state, then open the official SNAP destination and the state's energy-help page.
2. **Print the papers.** Print the checklist and bring what you have.
3. **Save the date.** Save, change, remove or download an interview, recertification or energy-help date.

SNAP is open all year. Energy programs are seasonal and funds can run out.

## Privacy and shared devices

Progress saves in this browser on this device and is never sent to a server. If the internet drops, the checklist and saved date still work; official state pages need the internet. On a shared computer or phone, choose **Erase this device** before handing it to someone else. A new version waits for you to choose **Reload**.

## The optional income screen

The screen uses FY2026 figures (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026) and pauses after that date until the table is rechecked against FNS. It says "likely worth applying" or "maybe." It never says eligible or ineligible. LIHEAP is a block grant; states set the rules, and meeting a cutoff does not mean someone will receive help.

## Limits

Helper is unofficial. It does not decide a case and does not file an application. If it conflicts with an agency notice or caseworker, follow the agency.

## Data

State links live in `src/data/programs.ts`. SNAP income tables live in `src/data/fpl.ts`. Sources and the update policy are in `research/SOURCES.md`. If a portal is down, the official how-to page is kept; URLs are never invented.

## Run and check

```sh
npm install
npm test
npm run typecheck
npm run build
npm run dev
```

The production build assumes GitHub Pages at `/helper/`. Two demos to check by hand: ZIP `19103` opens Pennsylvania's COMPASS SNAP application and Pennsylvania's LIHEAP page; ZIP `90210` opens California's BenefitsCal and California's LIHEAP page.