USDA is committed to providing nutrition assistance to hard-hit families across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. In support of President Biden’s call to action on hunger, USDA announced that it is increasing the Pandemic EBT benefit by approximately 15 percent, providing more money for low-income families and millions of children missing meals due to school and child care closures.
The following documents are located in the Disaster SNAP Guidance and D-SNAP Toolkit, but have been separated out for convenient access as they are among the most frequently used tools by states during D-SNAP planning, operations, and reporting.
USDA Announces Approval of D-SNAP for Florida Disaster Areas
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that low-income Florida residents in 11 counties (Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Suwanee, and Taylor) recovering from Hurricane Idalia beginning Aug. 30, 2023, 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 233,000 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.
“The D-SNAP waiver USDA approved for Florida will ensure that people participating in SNAP can get the food they need as they get back on their feet in the wake of Hurricane Idalia,” Vilsack said.
To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must either 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. Florida will operate its staggered D-SNAP application process from Sept. 22, 2023, through Oct.14, 2023. Florida 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 Florida to automatically issue supplemental SNAP benefits to current SNAP households in the 11 identified areas to bring their allotment up to the maximum amount for their household size 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 Florida residents cope with Hurricane Idalia and its aftermath, some of which include:
- Approving a waiver to allow SNAP participants to buy hot foods and hot food products prepared for immediate consumption with their benefits at authorized SNAP retailers statewide through Oct.1, 2023.
- Approving a waiver for the 10-day reporting requirement for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of power outages in the counties of Dixie, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee and Taylor counties through Sept. 19, 2023.
- Approving a mass replacements waiver to SNAP participants in 14 counties: Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Pasco, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla, allowing households to receive replacement of benefits lost due to power outages as a result of the wildfires.
Additionally, USDA granted Florida several flexibilities in the operation of the Child Nutrition Programs including:
- Non-congregate meal service: waives the requirements to serve Child Nutrition Program meals in a congregate setting.
- Parent and guardian meal pick-up: waives the requirement that Child Nutrition Program meals may only be served directly to children.
- Meal service times: waives the requirements setting meal time parameters for Child Nutrition Program meals.
- Service of meals at school sites during unanticipated school closures: waives the requirement that limits the operation of the Summer Food Service Program during an unanticipated school closure to non-school sites. USDA also extends the service of meals at school sites during unanticipated school closures flexibility to operate Seamless Summer Options, or SSO, for the duration of this waiver.
- Offer Versus Serve (National School Lunch Program): waives the requirement to serve school lunches to students using Offer Versus Serve. USDA also extends the Offer Versus Serve flexibility to SSO for the duration of this waiver, when there is an unanticipated school closure during the school year.
- Meal Pattern Exception: temporarily allows school meals and afterschool snacks that do not meet the meal pattern requirements.
For more information about this and other available aid, callers from Florida can dial 2-1-1 or visit Florida’s Division of Emergency Management. For more information about Florida SNAP, visit Florida’s Department of Children and Families.
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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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
The market basket costs in the Thrifty Food Plan, 2021 apply to the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia. By law, the USDA must make cost adjustments to the Thrifty Food Plan to reflect the cost of food in Alaska and Hawaii. The Thrifty Food Plan Cost Estimates for Alaska and Hawaii report provides updated estimates of the June 2022 cost of the reevaluated Thrifty Food Plan in Alaska and Hawaii.
This memo reiterates and extends the guidance, “Use of Virtual Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP) Operations in Remainder of Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 and FY 2022,” issued on Aug. 2, 2021. This memo provides lessons learned and best practices for D-SNAP operations with virtual components.
State agencies have faced unprecedented challenges during the last two fiscal years while operating a D-SNAP with a virtual component. This memo clarifies the following D-SNAP policies for virtual, hybrid or in person environments: food loss alone for D-SNAP eligibility, 72-hour timeliness requirement and needs assessment.
USDA has issued guidance to states in implementing FFCRA of 2020 which provides for the issuance of emergency allotments based on a public health emergency declaration by the Secretary of HHS under the Public Health Service Act related to an outbreak of COVID-19 when a state has also issued an emergency or disaster declaration.
USDA Announces Approval of D-SNAP for California Disaster Areas
Contact:
Western Regional Office Public Affairs
fns-wro-pao@usda.gov or (415) 705-1311
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2023 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that low-income California residents recovering from severe storms that began on Dec. 27, 2022, which caused flooding, landslides, and mudslides, could be eligible for a helping hand from the USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP).
President Joseph R. Biden issued a major disaster declaration designating Merced, Sacramento, and Santa Cruz Counties as eligible for federal individual assistance on Jan. 17, 2023. Additional amendments were issued in January to designate Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, San Joaquin, Calaveras, and San Mateo Counties.
USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Western Regional Office’s Regional Administrator Jesus Mendoza, Jr., said that households that may not normally be eligible under regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/CalFresh rules may qualify for D-SNAP – if they meet certain criteria, including the disaster income limits and have qualifying disaster-related expenses. “To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must either live or work in an identified disaster area, have been affected by the disaster, and meet certain D-SNAP eligibility criteria,” Mendoza said.
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 stories or from select retailers online to meet their temporary food needs as they settle back home following the disaster. More details will be made available through the California Department of Social Services. The state agency estimates that approximately 6,500 new households may be eligible for up to $1,781,511 in D-SNAP assistance.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of more than 15 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 wellbeing. 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 https://www.fns.usda.gov/ and follow @USDANutrition.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
FNS works with state agencies to ensure eligible individuals and households can make informed decisions about applying for the program and access nutrition assistance benefits. FNS also provides technical assistance as needed.
USDA is committed to providing nutrition assistance to hard-hit families across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. In support of President Biden’s call to action on hunger, USDA announced that it is increasing the Pandemic EBT benefit by approximately 15 percent, providing more money for low-income families and millions of children missing meals due to school and child care closures.