CONTACT
Lee Rettig, Communications and Legislative Services, (402) 471-8287; lee.rettig@nebraska.gov
Lincoln – Residents of six more Nebraska counties and the Santee Sioux Nation, impacted by high water and power outages due to the recent floods, may be eligible for individual assistance, including Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP). The United States Department of Agriculture and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Children and Family Services have approved the D-SNAP for affected, qualified individuals in the Santee Sioux Nation and the following counties:
- Boone County
- Custer County
- Richardson County
- Buffalo County
- Knox County
- Thurston County
D-SNAP uses different qualifying rules than regular SNAP. If you would not normally qualify for SNAP, based on income, you may qualify for D-SNAP if you have suffered one or more of the following disaster-related expenses:
- Home or business repairs
- Temporary shelter expenses
- Evacuation or relocation expenses
- Home or business protection
- Disaster-related personal injury, including funeral expenses
- Lost or no access to income due to the disaster, including reduced, terminated or delayed receipt of income, for a large part of the benefit period
- In some cases, food loss after a disaster, like flooding or power outages
| Special Income Limits For Disaster SNAP | | |
| Household Size | Disaster Gross Monthly Income Limit | Maximum Allotment |
| 1 | $1,728 | $192 |
| 2 | $2,088 | $353 |
| 3 | $2,448 | $505 |
| 4 | $2,818 | $642 |
| 5 | $3,208 | $762 |
| 6 | $3,598 | $914 |
| 7 | $3,958 | $1,011 |
| 8 | $4,318 | $1,155 |
| Each Additional Member | +$360 | +$144 |
DHHS officials will determine eligibility based on available income, minus unreimbursed disaster related expenses. All resources except cash on hand and in bank accounts will be excluded from the eligibility determination.
If approved for D-SNAP, the benefits will be provided on an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card within three days of approval. EBT cards are used like debit cards to buy food at most local grocery stores.
Applicants must visit a DHHS assistance site for in-person verifications and to receive an EBT card. A driver's license or another form of identification from the head of household must be provided. The application process may be started at the ACCESSNebraska website. Fill out an application and submit it or print the completed application and take it to an assistance site.
Applications for D-SNAP benefits must be made on or before Monday, April 15 at one of the locations listed below. Daily hours of operation at each location will be weekdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
| Albion | Albion Public Library | 437 S. 3rd Street, Albion |
| Broken Bow | DHHS Local Office | 2475 S. E Street, Broken Bow |
| Falls City | DHHS Local Office (Street/lower level tunnel entrance) | 1700 Stone Street, Falls City |
| Gibbon | Faith United Church | 203 Garfield Street, Gibbon |
| Niobrara | Niobrara Rural Fire District | 259 Spruce Avenue, Niobrara |
| Pender | DHHS Local Office | 415 Maine Street, Pender |
Current SNAP Recipients
Current SNAP recipients DO NOT need to go through the application process to receive assistance. Those in Boone County, Buffalo County ZIP codes 68840, 68866, 68876, Custer County ZIP codes 68813, 68822, Knox County ZIP codes 68718, 68783, Richardson County ZIP code 68431 and Thurston County ZIP codes 68039, 68047 will automatically receive a supplemental benefit, if not already receiving the maximum amount for their household size. SNAP recipients who lived or worked in other areas of the listed counties may request disaster replacement and supplements by contacting DHHS to attest to their disaster losses by April 15.
Assistance will also be available at the above listed locations to apply for other DHHS administered programs, such as Medicaid, Aid to Dependent Children, Aid to the Aged, Blind and Disabled, Respite, Child Care Provider Natural Disaster Recovery and Emergency Assistance.
Disaster SNAP was also offered to affected residents of Butler, Cass, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas, Nemaha, Sarpy, Saunders and Washington counties after those counties were also designated for FEMA Individual Assistance.
FEMA is continuing to review counties for eligibility for individual assistance and they will be added as they qualify. DHHS will provide updates should additional counties become eligible.
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