DSNAP Sites to Open in East, West Feliciana on Thursday

09.19.12 - Residents impacted by Hurricane Isaac who meet the federal eligibility guidelines in East and West Feliciana parishes have seven days beginning Thursday to apply for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) benefits.

The following sites will be open each day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will serve only applicants from their parish based on a staggered alphabetic schedule:

East Feliciana --

• East Feliciana Early Learning Center, 914 Plank Rd., Clinton

West Feliciana --

• Independence Community Center, 10498 Hwy. 965, St. Francisville

Applicants and anyone who pre-applied for benefits should go to a DSNAP location only on the day indicated by the first letter of their last name. Applicants who are unable to visit a site on their designated day can send an authorized representative, or go on the designated makeup letter day during the final two days each site is open.

An authorized representative will need to bring a copy of the government ID for whom they are applying for, as well as a signed statement from that person giving the authorized representative permission to act on their behalf.

For the East Feliciana and West Feliciana locations, applicants should go on the following designated days based on their last name.

Thursday, September 20 - A through C
Friday, September 21 - D through G
Saturday, September 22 - H through L
Sunday, September 23 - M through R
Monday, September 24 - S through Z
Tuesday, September 25 - A through M
Wednesday, September 26 - N through Z

To help expedite the application process, individuals should pre-apply for DSNAP either online at www.dcfs.la.gov/preapply or by calling 1-888-LAHELP-U (888-524-3578). When applying by phone, callers should select the appropriate language and then select options 3 and 3.

All pre-applicants must have resided in the designated parishes on August 26 and must provide the following information:

• Names, Social Security Numbers and Dates of Birth for each household member;
• Address and Parish where you currently live;
• Income for each household member for the period August 26 through September 24;
• All liquid resources for each household member (cash on hand, checking, savings); and
• Unreimbursed disaster expenses during the disaster period of August 26 and September 24

DSNAP is an income eligibility based program to assist eligible households who do not receive regular SNAP benefits and who need help buying groceries due to lost income or damages following a disaster. Eligibility is determined by federal guidelines and is based on an individual's known or expected income, resources (such as cash on hand, saving and checking account balances) and unreimbursed disaster expenses during the disaster period of August 26 and September 24.

The following are the federal adjusted gross monthly income guidelines by household size:

On average, a family of four can have an adjusted gross monthly income of no more than $2,477 to be eligible for DSNAP.

Unreimbursed disaster-related expenses might include things like evacuation costs, such as a hotel stay, purchase of a generator, cost of rebuilding a fence or repairs to a home. Federal guidelines state that the expense must be paid within the benefit period, which for Hurricane Isaac is August 26 through September 24.

For information on income guidelines, visit www.dcfs.la.gov or call 211.

Regular SNAP households DO NOT need to pre-apply or visit a DSNAP site to receive additional benefits. Regular SNAP recipients in East and West Feliciana parishes have already received DSNAP benefits added to their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card if they are not already receiving the maximum allotment for their household size.

Regular SNAP recipients also received replacement benefits equaling 30 percent of their August monthly allotment, to assist in replacing food lost from the storm.

Attempts to defraud the DSNAP program will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Applicants who knowingly provide inaccurate or incomplete information as part of a DSNAP application could face criminal prosecution and disqualification of benefits. Individuals who already have received DSNAP cannot reapply. DCFS will investigate suspected fraud and aggressively pursue recoupment and possibly prosecution.

DSNAP is administered in Louisiana by DCFS and overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Read more about recipients' rights.

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