The USDA has an 82 paged guidance book, Disaster SNAP Guidance, that informs individuals of an additional food assistance program that only provides assistance in the case of a Presidential Declaration of Major Disaster.
Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, most commonly known as D-SNAP, was created according to the USDA Disaster SNAP guidebook \" for situations where a large number of households have disaster-related expenses not considered by the regular program.\"
This program provides additional assistance to SNAP recipients and assistance to individuals not a part of SNAP .
While SNAP and D-SNAP both focus on providing food assistance to households, there are some key differences that set the two programs apart.
Those who are already a part of SNAP will not need to request an application. The only thing that will need to be completed is an affidavit of disaster loss . The guidebook goes onto explain that this is because \"SNAP households; identities and circumstances are already known to the State agency, so they need not participate in a D-SNAP interview\"
After the affidavit of disaster loss is completed and if the applying family's SNAP benefits are less than their monthly maximum then D-SNAP will essentially refill their benefits to meet the maximum.
Any natural disaster can be declared a major disaster by the President. When the President makes this declaration it issues a large scope of federal assistance programs. These programs include funds for emergency and permanent work for public infrastructure and individuals.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists natural disasters such as: hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, mudslides, high water, wind-driven water, tidal waves, snowstorms, storms and droughts.
The benefit period is for 30 days and begins on the date that the disaster took place. If there was a mandatory evacuation foregoing the disaster then that date would start the benefit period