WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2017 - USDA is providing extra SNAP benefits to Florida residents struggling to recover from the effects of Hurricane Irma. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said that households that may not normally be eligible under regular SNAP rules may qualify for USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) if their income is under the disaster limits and they have qualifying disaster-related expenses. D-SNAP-eligible households will receive two months of benefits, equivalent to the maximum amount of benefits normally issued to a SNAP household of their size, to meet their food needs as they settle back home.
To be eligible, a household must have lived or worked in an identified disaster area on Sept. 5 (when mandatory evacuation orders began), have been affected by the disaster, and meet certain D-SNAP eligibility criteria. “The D-SNAP program … is an important step forward,” Perdue said. “Other food assistance is already underway, but D-SNAP will provide the continued support our neighbors in Florida need, as they get back on their feet after this epic storm. We’re with you, Florida -- all the way.”
