People receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program who lost power for more than four hours during the treacherous ice storm that swept through Mississippi over the weekend are eligible for replacement benefits, according to the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
Applications for replacement SNAP benefits must be submitted by mail, email or online to the Department of Human Services within 10 days of the outage. The application deadline is Feb. 3.
Replacement SNAP benefits are available to beneficiaries year-round if food is destroyed because of a disaster, including flood, fire and severe weather. Recipients are asked to report the value of the food lost. If approved, replacement benefits equal to the value of the food lost will be issued, up to the maximum amount of SNAP benefits issued for the month, according to the MDHS website.
As of midday Wednesday, about 8% homes and businesses in Mississippi remained without power, according to poweroutage.us
MDHS spokesman Mark Jones said the department is working to share information about replacement benefits through the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and local emergency management authorities. The team is also working on a flyer for Red Cross and Salvation Army shelter locations.
“We find every avenue we can,” Jones said.
Most SNAP recipients are expected to work or volunteer to qualify for assistance. The work requirements remain the same during the storm, Jones said.
To access the replacement request form, households should visit the MDHS website at https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/economic-assistance/snap/snap-replacement-benefits/.