The Mississippi Department of Human Services announced that the federal Food and Nutrition Service has approved its request for “mass replacement benefits” for some residents impacted by a recent winter storm that swept across the state.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households in the 15 hardest-hit counties are automatically receiving replacement benefits. The federal government often authorizes this measure when extended power outages spoil food purchased with SNAP benefits.
The counties where residents will receive automatic replacement benefits, without the need to submit a request, are Alcorn, Choctaw, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Lafayette, Montgomery, Panola, Sharkey, Tallahatchie, Tippah, Tishomingo, Yalobusha, and Yazoo.
As for 28 other impacted counties, the state agency is seeking replacement SNAP benefits for residents, a separate waiver extending the period to request replacement benefits has been granted until Feb. 23.
SNAP households in the following counties are responsible for filling out a form to request replacement benefits: Adams, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Coahoma, Desoto, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jefferson, Lee, Leflore, Lowndes, Madison, Marshall, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Sunflower, Tate, Tunica, Union, Warren, Washington, Webster, and Wilkinson.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services reminded recipients that replacement benefits are only available to those who were receiving SNAP benefits before the storm and food loss must have resulted from a storm-related power outage lasting more than four hours. The amount of replacement benefits will not exceed a household’s current monthly allotment.