
The Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)
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If you have lost food during a natural disaster, you may be eligible for D-SNAP benefits.
The Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) gives food assistance to low-income households with food loss or damage caused by a natural disaster.
Before operating D-SNAP in a disaster area, a state must receive an Individual Assistance declaration from the president. The state must then request and receive approval from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to operate a D-SNAP.
If approved for D-SNAP benefits, you will get an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. You can use the card just like a debit card to buy allowable food at local FNS-authorized retail stores.
Because of the unique needs of disaster survivors, D-SNAP uses different standards than normal SNAP. Even if you would not normally qualify for SNAP, you may qualify for D-SNAP if you had one of the disaster-related expenses below:
- Home or business repairs.
- Temporary shelter expenses.
- Evacuation or relocation expenses.
- Disaster-related personal injury, including funeral expenses.
- Lost or no access to income due to the disaster; includes reduced, terminated, or delayed receipt of income, for a large part of the benefit period.
- In some cases, food loss after a disaster like flooding or power outages.
Current SNAP Clients
If you’re a current SNAP client, you can request a supplement when your state operates a D-SNAP if you meet the conditions below:
- You currently get benefits that are less than the monthly maximum, and
- You have losses from the disaster.
The supplement brings your benefits up to the maximum for your household size. This way benefits are equal between D-SNAP and SNAP households after a disaster. Current SNAP clients may also request replacement benefits for food lost in the disaster and bought with SNAP benefits. Just contact your local office for more information.