HARTFORD -- More than 130,000 state residents who receive food stamps will find extra money in their accounts this month to cover the cost of food lost after Hurricane Sandy turned out the lights. For many families, the replacement of these benefits can mean the difference between having a meal and going hungry, said Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. The replacement benefits, funded with $4.5 million in federal money, will go to those households which currently receive benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. The recipients must live within Fairfield and New Haven counties, or any of the other 49 Connecticut towns in which more than 50 percent of residents lost power for at least four hours. The extra benefits will be placed in SNAP accounts on Saturday. This equates to replacement benefits ranging from $4 to over $300, depending on income and household size, said Department of Social Services Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby. The average replacement benefit is estimated at $62. Following Tropical Storm Irene and the Halloween snowstorm last year, a similar additional SNAP benefit was offered. However, a related program, called the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Program (D-SNAP) caused a huge scandal after state workers were accused of hiding income to improperly receive benefits. Andrew Doba, a Malloy spokesman, said the SNAP benefits now being issued only go to those already enrolled in the program. D-SNAP benefits are available to anyone, depending on income eligibility, Doba said. D-SNAP is used to also cover storm-related expenses, such as property repairs and temporary housing costs, in addition to food stamps. Its two different programs, Doba said. This is for folks on food stamps who already receive it. Its to help replenish food supplies. Doba said the state has not yet decided whether to offer another D-SNAP program. He said if a program is offered, safeguards have been put in place to avoid a repeat of last years scandal. The D-SNAP trouble last year initially resulted in more than 100 state employees either being fired or forced to resign or retire. Many of those workers got their jobs back after a ruling by an independent auditor found the state overreached with its punishment. Connecticut joins Rhode Island, New York, Maryland and Virginia in gaining federal approval to issue replacement SNAP benefits to eligible households living in areas affected by the storm. A total of 73,383 SNAP-enrolled households, or more than 130,000 people, will automatically receive 25 percent of their October benefit amount in electronic benefit transfer accounts this Saturday. SNAP benefits can be used only for federally approved food items at supermarkets, grocery stores and farmers markets. State officials used state power outage and damage assessments to determine the geographical areas to be covered by SNAP replacement benefits, in accordance with federal guidelines. DSS Commissioner Bremby noted that Connecticuts application for a federal waiver for mass issuance of replacement benefits was submitted and approved in two stages as additional cities and towns were identified as eligible under the federal methodology. For information on the individual SNAP benefit replacement process, visit 211ct.org or call 2-1-1. United Way of Connecticut 2-1-1 211ct.org 2-1-1 is Connecticuts comprehensive phone-based service that provides information and referrals to community services, child care options, crisis intervention, and suicide prevention. Infoline operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 02:37:49 +0000
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