LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentuckians receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits who lost food as a result of the severe weather Dec. 10 can receive waivers to replace the food according to a recent press release.
Current SNAP participants can request replacement waivers by calling the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) at 855-306-8959 or visit the county DCBS office. These can be requested until Jan. 8.
A different waiver approved Dec. 23 provides automatic benefits to some people in Warren County, Hickman County, Mayfield, Dawson Springs, Auburn and Pembroke. This is for people who received their benefits before the weather hit.
A third approved waiver will allow people to buy hot food through approved SNAP retailers until Jan. 17 in western Kentucky. Check here if your county is on the list.
In a press release from Dec. 30, a fourth waiver is called the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). People living or working in Caldwell, Christian, Fulton, Graves, Hart, Hickman, Hopkins, Logan, Lyon, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Taylor and Warren counties can start submitting applications Jan. 5. Barron and Marion can apply at a later date.
According to the new press release, D-SNAP helps people dealing with food loss, loss of income or damage caused by natural disaster. People who qualify have at least one of these disaster-related expenses:
- Home, business repairs
- Temporary shelter expenses
- Evacuation, relocation expenses
- Home, business protection
- Disaster-related personal injury, including funeral expenses
- Lost or no access to income due to the disaster, including 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
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in the first press release that because many Kentucky residents evacuated to shelters they cannot store or cook food due to lack of access.
USDA Southeast Regional Administrator Willie C. Taylor said, “This waiver is a vital step to keep SNAP participants healthy and moving forward as they recover from the recent tornado storm damage.”
The USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) said they will consider more waivers as needed.
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