Information About Replacement SNAP Benefits for People Affected by the October 29 Storm

Per the Department of Transitional Assistance:

Dear Community Partner:
Hurricane Sandy passed through Massachusetts on October 29, 2012, bringing significant power outages to a number of communities. Households receiving SNAP may apply to the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) for SNAP “replacement benefits.”
SNAP replacement benefits. Affected households who receive SNAP benefits may request replacement of food lost due to household misfortune, such as an extended power outage, a flood, or an equipment failure (such as a refrigerator or freezer). Replacement is limited to the value of the food lost or damaged, not to exceed the total monthly SNAP benefit amount the household received.
Application deadline
Typically, households must report the loss of food with 10 days of the incident. However, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has issued a waiver of the timely reporting requirement for household replacement of SNAP benefits. For food loss related to hurricane Sandy, the waiver extends the reporting period an additional 20 days (from 10 days to 30).
To be considered timely, households may report losses associated with this storm by the
end of the day on Wednesday, November 28, 2012. Note that they must then return a signed and completed statement of loss within 10 days of the date of reporting the food loss.
Process for applying
To receive replacement benefits:
 Clients must report the loss of food by phone, in person or in writing to DTA within 30
days of the loss. To be considered timely, households may report losses associated with
this storm by the end of the day on Wednesday, November 28, 2012.
 Return a signed and completed Statement of Loss/Request for Replacement Food Due to
a Household Disaster or Misfortune (SNAP-9B) form (attached) within 10 days of the
reported loss to the local DTA office. Note: If the tenth day falls on a weekend or
holiday, and the statement is received the next business day, DTA will consider the
request to be timely.
 Provide verification of the household misfortune.
Helping households assess the value of their food loss
In order to assist households assess the value of their food loss, you may ask them questions such
as:
 When did you last receive your SNAP benefits?
 What food did you buy the last time you went shopping with SNAP?
 How much of that food needed to be refrigerated or frozen? Did it spoil?
 If you need help figuring this out, DTA can look up when you last received

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