USDA Announces Approval of D-SNAP for Louisiana Disaster Areas

WASHINGTON, September 24, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that low-income Louisiana residents in eight parishes (Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John, St. Mary, and Terrebonne) recovering from the impact of Hurricane Francine that began on September 11, 2024, could be eligible for a helping hand from the USDA's Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP).

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that approximately 40,000 households that may not normally be eligible under regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rules may qualify for D-SNAP - if they meet certain criteria, including the disaster income limits and have qualifying disaster-related expenses.

"USDA is committed to ensuring that Louisiana residents impacted by Hurricane Francine get all the help they need," said Vilsack. "This waiver will provide the vital food assistance that individuals and households need to help them get back on their feet."

To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must live in an identified disaster area, have been affected by the disaster, and meet certain D-SNAP eligibility criteria. Eligible households will receive one month of benefits - equal to the maximum monthly amount for a SNAP household of their size - that they can use to purchase groceries at SNAP-authorized stores or from select retailers online to meet their temporary food needs as they settle back home following the disaster. Louisiana will operate its D-SNAP application Sept. 25, 2024 - Oct. 1, 2024. Louisiana will share additional information about D-SNAP application dates and locations through local media.

The timing of D-SNAP varies with the unique circumstances of each disaster, but always begins after commercial channels of food distribution have been restored and families are able to purchase and prepare food at home. Before operating a D-SNAP, a state must ensure that the proper public information, staffing, and resources are in place.

Although current SNAP households are not eligible for D-SNAP, USDA has also approved Louisiana to automatically issue supplemental SNAP benefits to current SNAP households in six parishes (Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, and Terrebonne) to bring their allotment up to the maximum amount for their household size if they don't already receive that amount. SNAP households in the remaining two parishes of St. Charles, St. James may request supplemental benefits from their state SNAP agency.

The D-SNAP announcement today is the latest in a battery of USDA actions taken to help Louisiana residents cope with Hurricane Francine and its aftermath, which also include:

• A waiver to issue mass replacements to impacted households in four parishes (Assumption, Lafourche, St. Mary, and Terrebonne). This approval allows household to receive a replacement of benefits lost due to power outages.
• An approval to waive the 10-day reporting requirement for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of power outages. This waiver applies to residents in 20 parishes (Ascension, Assumption, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, and Washington) and will be in effect through Sept. 30, 2024.
• A waiver to extend certification periods and waive periodic reporting requirements for ongoing SNAP households statewide that are scheduled to expire in October - November 2024 for up to six months due to the impact of Hurricane Francine.

For more information about this and other available aid, callers from Louisiana can dial 2-1-1 or 1-888-524-3578. For more information about Louisiana SNAP, visit Louisiana's Department of Children and Family Services.

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of more than 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS's report, "Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service," highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration's National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.

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