USDA Announces Approval of D-SNAP for Kentucky Disaster Areas 

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2022 – Low-income Kentucky residents recovering from the tornadoes, flooding and winds that began Dec.10, 2021, could be eligible for a helping hand from the USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced.

An estimated 14,000 households in 14 counties (Caldwell, Christian, Fulton, Graves, Hart, Hickman, Hopkins, Logan, Lyon, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Taylor and Warren) may be eligible to receive this much-needed food assistance.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said households that may not normally be eligible under regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rules may qualify for D-SNAP – if they meet the disaster income limits and have qualifying disaster-related expenses.

“The waiver approved for the affected residents of Kentucky will help ensure that people can get critical food assistance as they rebound from these devastating storms,” said Vilsack. “USDA stands ready to take any actions that will improve food access during their road to recovery.”

To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must either 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 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. Kentucky will share information about D-SNAP application dates and locations through local media.

The timing of D-SNAP varies with the unique circumstances of each disaster, Vilsack said, 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 hard-hit Kentucky residents cope with the storms and their aftermath, which also include:

• Approving a waiver to allow SNAP participants to buy hot foods and hot food products prepared for immediate consumption with their benefits at authorized SNAP retailers in 37 counties through Jan. 17, 2022.
• Approving a timely reporting requirement waiver in 32 counties through Jan. 10, 2022, allowing affected residents more time to notify the state of food lost as a result of the disaster.
• Approving the mass replacement of SNAP benefits in two counties and four cities, making it easier for households to replace food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost due to the storms.
• Extending certification periods and waiving periodic reporting requirements for ongoing

SNAP households in affected counties for up to 6 months due to the storms.

For more information about this and other available aid, callers in Kentucky should dial 2-1-1 or 1-502-589-6897. For more information about Kentucky SNAP and D-SNAP, visit Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) leverages its 15 nutrition assistance programs to ensure that children, low-income individuals, and families have opportunities for a better future through equitable access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food, while building a more resilient food system. Under the leadership of Secretary Tom Vilsack, FNS is fighting to end food and nutrition insecurity for all through programs such as SNAP, school meals, and WIC. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To learn more, visit www.fns.usda.gov.

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