CONTACT
Garret Swanson, Office of Communications, (402) 480-0883; garret.swanson@nebraska.gov
Non-members of the media with questions about SNAP should contact 1-800-383-4278.
Lincoln – The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) encourages SNAP recipients who used their SNAP benefits to buy food, which then spoiled due to lost power over the weekend, to apply for SNAP replacement benefits. Eligible Nebraskans may apply for replacement benefits by calling the ACCESSNebraska Economic Assistance hotline at 800-383-4278. Only Nebraskans who received SNAP benefits qualify for replacement benefits.
Prior to issuing a replacement, the recipient must provide DHHS a signed statement attesting to the household's loss from the household. The statement must be received within 10 days of the date of the report. If the 10th day falls on a weekend or a holiday, and the statement is received the day after the weekend or holiday, then the request will still be considered received timely. Operators with the Economic Assistance hotline will aid Nebraskans who qualify for replacement benefits with submitting a statement to DHHS.
This announcement is guided by the following state SNAP regulations:
002.03 FOOD DESTROYED IN A DISASTER. In cases when food purchased with Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits is destroyed in a disaster affecting a participating household, that household may be eligible for the replacement of the actual value of loss, not to exceed the household's one month allotment. The loss must be reported within ten days of the occurrence and the household's disaster must be verified.
002.03(A) HOUSEHOLD STATEMENT OF LOSS. Prior to issuing a replacement, the recipient must provide the Department a signed statement attesting to the household's loss from the household. The statement must be received within 10 days of the date of report. If the 10th day falls on a weekend or holiday and the statement is received the day after the weekend or holiday then the request will still be considered received timely.
002.03(B) DISASTER REPLACEMENT ELIGIBILITY. This policy applies in cases of natural disasters affecting more than one household, as well as individual household disasters, such as fire, or power outage lasting more than four hours for refrigerated food or twenty-four hours for frozen food. There is no limit on the number of replacements for food purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits which were destroyed in a household misfortune.
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