Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP) Food Benefits Help Flood-Affected Households

West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR), Bureau for Children and Families Commissioner Nancy Exline today announced that the Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP) program provided $4,661,482 in nutrition assistance benefits to thousands of people in the 12 declared disaster counties of Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Roane, Summers and Webster. The D-SNAP program was held from July 25-31, 2016.
“These benefits were helpful to those who would not normally qualify for SNAP assistance, as the devastating flooding resulted in unexpected expenses for so many individuals and families,” said Exline. “D-SNAP was an opportunity for some flood-impacted West Virginians, including current SNAP recipients, to receive support to regain a supply of nutritional foods during this difficult time.”
D-SNAP benefits assisted 4,766 individuals that were not current SNAP recipients, by issuing benefits totaling $812,537, for an average payment of $395.  The program also assisted 43,744 individuals currently receiving SNAP, with supplemental payments totaling $3,848,945.
SNAP is 100 percent federally funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and offers nutrition assistance to eligible, low-income individuals and families.  USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.