After a disaster, many people in the affected area lose the perishable food in their home, and may have scarce resources to purchase food, or may find their resources impossible to access. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Disaster-SNAP (D-SNAP) help people affected by a disaster to buy food during the recovery. D-SNAP and replacement SNAP benefits are not always approved after a major storm or similar event, and there is generally a gap between when a disaster occurs and when those benefits are issued

People who don’t receive SNAP or are not eligible for SNAP, may be eligible for relief through D-SNAP. People who received SNAP before the disaster aren’t eligible for D-SNAP, but may be eligible for replacement SNAP benefits.

This short guide explains what Louisiana residents affected by disasters may expect the D-SNAP and SNAP benefit replacement process to look like.

For the most up to date information from the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, go to dcfs.la.gov/page/dsnap.

D-SNAP

Key points:

• Pre-register for D-SNAP before the storm or as soon as possible after the storm to speed up the application process.
• Even after you pre-register, you STILL HAVE TO APPLY for D-SNAP. Pre-registering and applying for benefits do not guarantee that your application will be approved.
• D-SNAP applications are taken by phone, some time after the storm passes. Check dcfs.la.gov for information about when to call in.
• Louisiana D-SNAP benefits can be used in any state. This is also true of regular SNAP and P-EBT benefits.
• D-SNAP is available to qualifying people affected by the disaster regardless of their citizenship or immigration status.
  

Details:

Timeline for D-SNAP

Generally, it takes some time before D-SNAP is authorized after a storm or other disaster. Based on the experience of recent storms, D-SNAP tends to be issued more quickly for larger storms with very widespread power outages.

Timelines from recent storms may help you know what to expect:

When do D-SNAP applications typically open after a disaster?

Disaster	Days after disaster that the D-SNAP application period began	Notes
Hurricane Laura Aug. 22, 2020	19 days	Major damage and widespread power outages. D-SNAP issued in 21 parishes. Initial approval was for 16 parishes, with 5 additional parishes added as more information became available.
Hurricane Delta Oct. 9, 2020	17 days	Major damage and widespread power outages. D-SNAP or D-SNAP replacement benefits were issued for people in 17 parishes. D-SNAP applications were taken in 3 phases, as additional information allowed more parishes to be approved for the benefit.
Hurricane Zeta Oct. 28, 2020	97 days	Some significant damage and power outages. D-SNAP approved for residents of 6 parishes.
2021 Winter Storm Feb. 15-18, 2021	50 days	Significant damage and power outages. D-SNAP approved for residents of 23 parishes. D-SNAP applications were taken in two 1-week phases.

Pre-Registering for D-SNAP

Pre-registering for D-SNAP speeds up the D-SNAP application process, but pre-registration itself is not an application and does not guarantee that you will be approved. Even if you pre-register for D-SNAP, you STILL NEED TO APPLY.

To apply for D-SNAP you need to provide the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) with some information about yourself. You can provide some of this information in advance—even before any storms are in the forecast—by pre-registering at dcfs.la.gov/cafe.

To pre-register, you will need:

• Name, date of birth and Social Security Number (if applicable) for each household member
  You do not need a Social Security number to apply for D-SNAP; D-SNAP is available to qualifying people regardless of their citizenship or immigration status
• Driver’s license or state-issued ID number (if applicable) for the head of household
• Permanent home address and current mailing address (if your mailing address is different from your home address)
• Income information for each household member
• Resources information (for example., cash, checking, savings) for each household member

You can find more information from DCFS at dcfs.la.gov/page/dsnap-faqs.

Applying for D-SNAP

D-SNAP eligibility is based on two factors:  the resources available to you at the time you apply—including cash, and money in checking, and savings accounts—and the costs of your disaster-related expenses that are not expected to be reimbursed while you have D-SNAP benefits.

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Examples of disaster related expenses

• food destroyed in the disaster that the household has replaced or intends to replace
• cost to repair or replace disaster damage to home, property, or business
• medical or funeral expenses related to the disaster
• dependent care expenses directly due to the disaster
• cost to repair or replace tools/equipment needed for work
• temporary shelter expenses if unable to live at home
• moving expenses if evacuated from home
• expenses to protect property from disaster damage, even if purchased prior to the disaster
• disaster-related pet boarding fees
• expenses related to replacing necessary personal and household items such as clothing
• appliances, tools, and educational material
• fuel for primary heating source
• cost of clean-up items
• cost to repair disaster-related damages of vehicle
• moving or storage expenses

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In Louisiana, D-SNAP applications are conducted over the phone. Generally, application dates are staggered over one or more weeks, based on an applicant’s parish of residence and the first letter of their last name.

Depending on demand, you may experience a wait time when you call in. Generally, hundreds of DCFS caseworkers work simultaneously to process D-SNAP interviews, so if you have a high number in the call-in queue, you may still be connected to an operator relatively quickly.

When you call to apply, you will be asked to verify certain information. Here is what you should be prepared to provide:

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What you need when you call in to apply for D-SNAP

• A driver’s license or state-issued ID to verify your identity and residency.
  • Downloading the LA Wallet mobile app (available at lawallet.com or in your phone’s app store) is the easiest way to verify your identity
  • Other acceptable forms of ID include a work or school ID, ID for health benefits or another social services program, voter’s registration card, check stub, or birth certificate.
• Proof of monthly income for each household member (for example, check stubs)—verified if possible
• Proof of household resources (for example, checking or savings statements)—verified if possible
• Amount of disaster-related expenses you incurred during the disaster period

If you did not pre-register before calling to apply, you also will need to be prepared to provide:

• Name, date of birth, and Social Security Number (if applicable) for each household member, and
• driver’s license or state-issued ID number (if applicable) for the head of household; and
• Residential address and mailing address (if mailing address is different).

You must provide true and accurate information on your D-SNAP application.

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Source: http://dcfs.la.gov/page/dsnap-faqs

Receiving and Using D-SNAP benefits

D-SNAP benefits are issued on an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Card. Like SNAP and P-EBT benefits, D-SNAP benefits are funded by the federal government and can be used in any U.S. state.

D-SNAP, SNAP, and P-EBT benefits generally cannot be used to buy prepared foods. After a disaster, however, when many people have limited or no access to cooking facilities, Louisiana will sometimes receive a “hot foods waiver,” allowing people to purchase prepared foods, such as supermarket rotisserie chickens through the EBT system. Louisiana is only able to request a waiver for in-state stores, so, when available, this option only applies to foods purchased in Louisiana.

A hot foods waiver has been approved for Hurricane Ida through September 28, 2021.

Replacement SNAP benefits

People who receive regular SNAP aren’t eligible for D-SNAP. Instead, they are eligible for replacement SNAP benefits to replace food that they lost during a disaster.

Update, Sept. 6, 2021: Replacement SNAP benefits amounting to 55% of a household’s regular monthly benefit are now approved for residents of 18 parishes impacted by Hurricane Ida. These benefits will be automatically loaded onto SNAP recipients’ EBT cards by Sept 11 for current SNAP recipients in the following parishes

• Ascension
• Assumption
• East Baton Rouge
• East Feliciana
• Jefferson
• Lafourche
• Livingston
• Orleans
• Plaquemines
• St. Bernard
• St. Charles
• St. Helena
• St. James
• St. John
• St. Tammany
• Tangipahoa
• Terrebonne
• Washington

SNAP recipients in OTHER parishes who lost food due to a household misfortune, such as Hurricane Ida, can apply for replacement benefits. The deadline to apply is Sept. 28, 2021. SNAP recipients in the parishes listed above do not need to apply for replacement benefits—they will receive replacement benefits automatically.

See dcfs.la.gov/page/replacement-snap-benefits-faqs for more information.

Depending on the extent of the disaster, replacement SNAP benefits may be issued automatically or may require an individual application. Typically, automatic replacement SNAP benefits are issued for parishes where at least half of the parish lost power for at least 24 hours. Residents in parishes less affected by the disaster, but who personally lost power for at least 24 hours may apply for replacement benefits on an individual basis.

Replacement SNAP benefits are issued directly onto a household’s existing EBT card—they do not require a new EBT card.

In general, automatic replacement SNAP benefits are issued more quickly than D-SNAP.

Timelines from recent storms may help you know what to expect:

When are replacement SNAP benefits typically issued after a disaster?

Disaster	Days after disaster that automatic replacement SNAP benefits were issued	Percentage of Monthly SNAP Benefits Replaced	Notes
Hurricane Laura Aug. 22, 2020	20 days	50%	Major damage and widespread power outages. Replacement SNAP benefits issued for people in 26 parishes.
Hurricane Delta Oct. 9, 2020	13 days	45% of Sept. benefits + 45% of Oct. benefits	Major damage and widespread power outages. Replacement SNAP benefits issued for people in 25 parishes.
Hurricane Zeta Oct. 28, 2020	6 days	25%	Some significant damage and power outages. Replacement SNAP benefits issued for people in 6 parishes.
February 2021 Winter Storm Feb. 15-18, 2021	9 days	45%	Significant damage and power outages. Replacement SNAP benefits issued for people in 3 parishes, with additional replacement benefits issued on an individual basis.

-by Danny Mintz, Director of Safety Net Policy

Last updated: September 6, 2021, 4:42 p.m.