SNAP Clients may be Eligible for Disaster Related Benefits

BATON ROUGE -Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who reside in an impacted area and suffered an adverse effect or food loss may request supplemental or replacement benefits. The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has received approval from the federal Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) for eight parishes to receive automatic disaster supplements for SNAP and 10 parishes to receive automatic replacement SNAP benefits.

SNAP households in Acadia, Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Livingston, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tangipahoa, and Vermilion were approved for automatic supplemental disaster benefits. These benefits will be loaded automatically onto recipients' Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards by August 26th if their household does not receive the maximum allotment for their household size.

The following parishes and ZIP codes did not receive automatic disaster supplements and should complete the DIS 14, Affidavit of Disaster Loss if they experienced an adverse effect as a result of the flooding:

• East Feliciana Parish (All ZIP Codes)
• Iberia Parish (ZIP Codes 70518, 70528, 70552, 70560, 70563, 70582, and 70592)
• Point Coupee Parish (ZIP Codes 70749, 70755, 70756, 70757, 70760, 70762, and 70783)

If a SNAP household that resided in one of these impacted ZIP codes experienced an adverse effect due to the August floods, the household must report this during the application period for their parish by completing the DIS 14, Affidavit of Disaster Loss no later than August 27, 2016, which is the end of the parish DSNAP application period. Supplemental benefits would bring the household to the maximum allotment for their household size.

SNAP households that reside in Acadia, Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Livingston, St. Helena, St. Landry, St. Martin, Tangipahoa, Vermilion, and West Feliciana were approved for automatic replacements up to 60 percent of their monthly SNAP allotment or $16, whichever is greater. SNAP recipients in the following parishes who experience food loss due to the August severe storms and flooding should complete a SNAP38, Affidavit Regarding Food Lost in a Household Misfortune for replacement benefits:

• Avoyelles
• East Feliciana
• Evangeline
• Iberia
• Iberville
• Jefferson Davis
• Pointe Coupee
• St. Tammany
• Washington

DIS 14, Affidavit of Disaster Loss, and the SNAP38, Affidavit Regarding Food Lost in a Household Misfortune, should be completed and either mailed to P.O. Box 260031, Baton Rouge, LA 70826-9918, faxed to (225) 663-3164, or brought into their local DCFS Economic Stability Office no later than by September 12, 2016. The DIS 14, Affidavit of Disaster Loss is due by August 27, 2016. The SNAP38, Affidavit Regarding Food Lost in a Household Misfortune is due by September 12, 2016.

These forms are also available at www.dcfs.la.gov.

All requests for supplemental and replacement benefits will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

DSNAP Phase Two begins Monday, August 29 for Acadia, Ascension, East Baton Rouge and Lafayette parishes. DSNAP Phase Three will begin the first week of September for all other approved DSNAP parishes.

Frequently Asked Questions About DSNAP

**Updated to reflect Tangiphoa Parish automatic benefits approval