Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) officials announced April 13, that the agency will begin Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) operations in the following counties affected by the March 24-25 tornado: Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe, Montgomery, Panola, and Sharkey.
D-SNAP provides eligible households who do not currently receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits with help buying groceries due to lost income or damages following a disaster.
D-SNAP applications will be taken in Montgomery, Humphreys, Sharkey, and Carroll counties the week of April 17-22. Applications will be taken in Monroe and Panola counties the week of April 25-30.
To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must not be a current SNAP recipient, must either live or work in an identified disaster county when the disaster occurred, have been affected by the disaster, and meet certain D-SNAP eligibility criteria including income limits and qualifying disaster-related expenses like home or business repairs, relocation expenses, disaster related medical or funeral expenses, lost or no access to income, and food loss due to disaster.
MDHS Executive Director Robert G. (Bob) Anderson encourages Mississippians that may not normally be eligible under regular SNAP rules to apply for D-SNAP.
“Eligibility for D-SNAP uses different criteria than normal SNAP because of the unique needs of disaster-affected households,” stated Anderson. “Even if you would not normally qualify for SNAP, you may qualify for D-SNAP.”
Regular SNAP households DO NOT need to apply for D-SNAP. Impacted households that receive regular SNAP benefits in Sharkey, Humphreys, Carroll, and Monroe counties will receive information in the next few days regarding replacement and supplementary SNAP benefits. No replacement benefit or D-SNAP application is necessary for these clients. There is no need to contact your county office.
Regular SNAP households in Panola and Montgomery counties have until April 24, 2023 to submit a replacement SNAP application at mdhs.ms.gov.
MDHS will take in-person D-SNAP applications at the following sites and times:
- Carroll County: Vaiden Gym, 504 Mulberry Street, Vaiden, MS 39176 from Tuesday, April 18, 2023, through Saturday, April 22, 2023 – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Humphreys County: Humphreys County Neighborhood Facility Building, 102 Castleman Street, Belzoni, MS 39038 from Tuesday, April 18, 2023, through Saturday, April 22, 2023 – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Monroe County: West Amory Community Center, 713 11th Street, Amory, MS 38821 from Wednesday, April 26, 2023, through Sunday, April 30, 2023 – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Montgomery County: Winona Community House, 113 Sterling Avenue, Winona, MS 38967 from Monday, April 17, 2023, through Friday, April 21, 2023 – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Panola County: Extension Building, 394 Highway 51 South, Batesville, MS 38606 from Wednesday, April 26, 2023, through Sunday, April 30, 2023 – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Sharkey County: MS Christian Family Services, 394 Pine Street, Rolling Fork, MS 39159 from Tuesday, April 18, 2023, through Saturday, April 22, 2023 – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
D-SNAP applicants MUST go to the D-SNAP site in their county of residence or employment to apply and receive benefits, if eligible.
Applicants may name an Authorized Representative to go to a D-SNAP site on their behalf. Authorized representatives must bring with them to the D-SNAP site a picture ID and the picture ID of the applicant/head of household along with a signed 918 Representative Authorization form from the applicant/head of household or an adult household member authorizing them as a representative. This form is available on the MDHS website.
Accommodations will be made for older adults and those with disabilities to reduce on-site wait times. All registrants must provide verification of identity.
Registrants will be asked to provide, if possible, the following information:
• Name, Social Security Number and Date of Birth for each household member Permanent and/or temporary residence address
• Monthly income for each household member
• All liquid assets for each household member (cash on hand, checking, savings and money market account balances and certificates of deposit)
As with all programs, MDHS works to ensure this program and others are available for eligible applicants by aggressively protecting against fraud in benefits programs year-round. Strong safeguards are in place to ensure that only eligible citizens receive D-SNAP benefits, to identify those who are dishonest about their eligibility and to pursue recoupment and/or prosecution. MDHS wants to ensure that only those eligible applicants receive D-SNAP benefits.
The timing of D-SNAP always begins after commercial channels of food distribution have been restored and families are able to purchase and prepare food at home.