USDA Announces Approval of D-SNAP for Oklahoma Disaster Areas

Press Release

Release No. 0130.24

WASHINGTON, July 3, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that low-income Oklahoma residents in Rogers and Mayes countiesrecovering from the impact of severe storms and tornadoes beginning May 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 735 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 ensuring that residents of Oklahoma impacted by the storms and tornadoes do not have to worry about where their next meal is coming from," said Secretary Vilsack. "The waiver will be beneficial to Oklahomans as they recover from the recent disasters."

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 July 12, 2024 through July 18, 2024 for five non-consecutive days, excluding the weekend. The state 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 in the identified areas are not eligible for D-SNAP, they may request supplemental SNAP benefits to raise their allotment to the maximum amount for their household size for one month 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 Oklahoma residents cope with the storms and its aftermath, which also include:

• On May 31, 2024, FNS approved the Oklahoma (HS) request to waive the 10-day reporting requirement for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of power outages due to severe storms that began on May 25, 2024. The waiver applies to Rogers and Mays counties. The waiver is in effect through June 24, 2024.
• On May 17, 2024, FNS approved Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) request to operate Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP) in 8 counties in response to the impact of severe storms and tornadoes on April 25, 2024. Due to these incidents, President Joseph R. Biden issued a major disaster declaration with federal individual assistance for three 3 counties on April 30, 2024. The declaration was amended on May 3, 2024, to add one county, on May 7, 2024, to add one county, on May 9, 2024, to add two counties, and on May 13, 2024, to add one county for a total of eight counties: Carter, Hughes, Love Murray, Okmulgee, Osage, Pontotoc and Washita. The state plan to operate the D-SNAP May 20, 2024, through May 24, 2024.
• On May 10, 2024, FNS approved the Oklahoma DHS request to amend the 10-day reporting requirement waiver for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of power outages due to severe storms that began on April 27, 2024. The initial waiver approved on April 30, 2024, includes the counties of Carter, Cotton, Garfield, Hughes, Kay, Lincoln, Love, Murray, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Payne and Pontotoc. The waiver was amended on May 3, 2024, to include Okmulgee, Johnson, Pittsburg and Wagoner counties. This amended waiver request includes Blane, Cleveland, Comanche, Craig, Custer, Kingfisher, McClain, Osage, Pottawatomie, Ottawa, Tillman, Washington and Washita counties and is in effect through May 28, 2024.
• On May 3, 2024, FNS approved the Oklahoma DHS request to amend the 10-day reporting requirement waiver for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of power outages due to severe storms that began on April 27, 2024. The initial waiver approved on April 30, 2024, includes the counties of Carter, Cotton, Garfield, Hughes, Kay, Lincoln, Love, Murray, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Payne and Pontotoc. This amended waiver request includes Okmulgee, Johnson, Pittsburg and Wagoner counties and is in effect through May 28, 2024.
• On April 30, 2024, FNS approved the Oklahoma DHS request to waive the 10-day reporting requirement for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of power outages due to severe storms that began on April 27, 2024. The waiver request applies Carter, Cotton, Garfield, Hughes, Kay, Lincoln, Love, Murray, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Payne and Pontotoc counties and is in effect through May 28, 2024.

For more information about this and other available aid, callers from Oklahoma can dial 2-1-1 or 405-487-5483. For more information about Oklahoma SNAP, visit oklahoma.gov/okdhs/services/snap.html

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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