States are required to report with 45 days on USDA commodity or donated foods released to disaster organizations to provide nutritional assistance to disaster victims and operations of a D-SNAP program.
The USDA, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) coordinates with State agencies, Tribal Nations, and voluntary organizations as they develop disaster nutrition assistance strategies before, during, and after disasters and emergencies.
USDA’s approach to tackling food and nutrition insecurity emphasizes equity to ensure our efforts serve all populations.
This guidance provides resources that state agencies may use when considering next steps and set forth instructions for submitting state plan amendments that involve operational changes such as electronic solution proposals and/or WIC FMNP waiver requests.
USDA is investing in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) to reach more eligible families, keep families in WIC while they remain eligible, encourage families to redeem more of their food benefits, and advance equity. The dashboard tracks the progress of this work.
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service conducts a variety of studies, evaluations, and related activities that respond to the needs of policymakers and managers and help ensure that nutrition assistance programs achieve their goals effectively. This plan provides short descriptions of projects that are expected to launch in fiscal year (FY) 2025.
It reflects decisions by FNS program and research staff and leadership on the best use of available research funding to meet current information needs that are aligned with agency priorities to improve program efficiency, integrity, and nutrition. FNS developed this plan in consultation with the agencies of the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission Area.
USDA Announces Approval of D-SNAP for California Disaster Areas
WASHINGTON, March 1, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that low-income California residents recovering from severe storms and power outages beginning Jan. 21, 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 4,500 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 making sure that those experiencing the impact of the recent storms get the food they need,” Vilsack said. “We recognize that the crisis doesn’t end when the rain stops. For families in these stricken areas, it may be just beginning.”
To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must live or work 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. California will operate its D-SNAP application for seven non-consecutive days, beginning March 7, 2024, through March 8, 2024, and March 11, 2024, through March 15, 2024. California 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 in the identified areas are not eligible for D-SNAP, they may request supplemental SNAP benefits to raise their allotment to the maximum amount for their household size for one month if they don’t already receive that amount.
The D-SNAP announcement today is the latest in a battery of USDA actions taken to help California residents cope with recent severe storms and its aftermath, which also include:
- Approving a mass replacements waiver for SNAP participants, allowing households to receive replacement of benefits lost due to power outages. This waiver applies to 121 zip codes in 27 counties.
- Approving a 10-day reporting waiver for food purchased with SNAP benefits that were lost as a result of power outages in 14 counties: Lake, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada Orange, Placer, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sonoma and Ventura.
- Approving California’s DSS non-congregate feeding request for Child Care Food Program (CCFP) institutions and sponsoring organizations under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), allowing program operators to serve meals in a non-congregate setting, adjust the time of meal service, and allow parent and guardian meal pick up.
For more information about this and other available aid, callers from California can dial 2-1-1 or 1-800-621-3362. For more information about CalFresh visit California’s Department of Social 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.
#
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Through an examination of 5 disasters in 4 states, this study develops recommendations for best practices in planning for, implementing, and operating D-SNAP.
This information collection is requesting a revision in the burden hours due to program changes resulting from FMNP state agencies transitioning from paper coupon systems to electronic benefit systems, as well as one existing requirement that has been in use without PRA approval.
This collection is an extension of a currently approved collection. This information collection addresses the recordkeeping burden associated with forms FNS–292A (Report of Commodity Distribution for Disaster Relief) and FNS–292B (Report of Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Benefit Issuance).