USDA Announces Approval of D-SNAP for Oklahoma Disaster Areas

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that low-income Oklahoma residents recovering from severe storms and tornadoes beginning April 25, 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 1,000 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.

“USDA is committed to making sure that the Oklahoma residents affected by the severe storms and tornados get the vital assistance they need,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Helping residents of Oklahoma get back on their feet is a top priority, and we will continue working to expedite access to USDA’s nutrition assistance programs.”

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. Oklahoma will operate its D-SNAP application for 5 consecutive days beginning Monday, May 20, 2024, through Friday, May 24, 2024. Oklahoma will share additional information about D-SNAP application dates and locations through local media and their website Oklahoma.gov.

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.

The D-SNAP announcement today is the latest in a battery of USDA actions taken to help Oklahoma residents cope with recent severe storms and tornadoes and its aftermath, which also include:

• Approving a 10-day reporting waiver for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of power outages in Carter, Cotton, Garfield, Hughes, Kay, Lincoln, Love, Murray, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Payne and Pontotoc counties.
• Approving an amended 10-day reporting waiver for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of power outages. This amended waiver request includes Okmulgee, Johnson, Pittsburg, Wagoner, Blane, Cleveland, Comanche, Craig, Custer, Kingfisher, McClain, Osage, Pottawatomie, Ottawa, Tillman, Washington, and Washita counties.

For more information about this and other available aid, callers from Oklahoma can dial 2-1-1 or 1-405-487-LIVE. For more information about Oklahoma SNAP, visit Oklahoma’s Department of Human 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.

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