The Alabama Department of Human Resources has received federal approval to distribute Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to qualifying residents of seven counties recovering from Hurricane Zeta.
D-SNAP benefits are approved for Clarke, Dallas, Marengo, Mobile, Perry, Washington and Wilcox counties. Individuals who received SNAP benefits in November 2020 are not eligible for these benefits; they have already received D-SNAP benefits.
Non-SNAP households in qualifying counties can start the D-SNAP application process by submitting a pre-screening form online during the five-day application period, which will operate in three phases:
- Jan. 19 through Jan. 22 and Jan. 25 for Perry, Wilcox and Marengo counties
- Jan. 25 through Jan. 29 for Dallas, Clarke and Washington counties
- Feb. 1 through Feb. 5 for Mobile County.
The form will also be available two days prior to each D-SNAP phase for those who want to submit it early.
The pre-screening form will be available each day of the application period from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. online. D-SNAP applicants must complete a pre-screening form to determine eligibility.
All applicants who submit a pre-screening form must also complete a phone interview as part of the certification process. Interviews will take place during each county’s regular application period. Applicants should keep their phones nearby during this time and answer incoming calls. Calls will originate from locations across the state.
(VIA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES)
Elderly and disabled residents may request help completing the pre-screening form by calling their local DHR office from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during their designated application period. Community partners such as Feeding the Gulf Coast will also be available to assist individuals with the pre-screening form.
Alabama DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner said:
“The hurricane season may be over, but the hardships left behind by powerful storms like Hurricane Zeta continue to linger for thousands of households across Alabama. The arrival of these D-SNAP benefits will provide an important financial boost to households recovering from Hurricane Zeta and help ease the burden as they move forward into the new year.”
Hurricane Zeta swept through Alabama on Oct. 28 and Oct. 29, producing wind gusts up to 70 mph that caused widespread damage to trees and power lines. Nearly 500,000 power outages were reported on the morning of the second day.
D-SNAP benefits are reserved for non-SNAP, income-eligible households with both unreimbursed disaster-related expenses and food loss caused by Hurricane Zeta.
Disaster-related expenses include:
- Home or business repairs
- Temporary shelter expenses
- Evacuation or relocation expenses
- Home or business protection
- Disaster-related personal injury
- Lost or no access to income due to the disaster
