GOV. MALLOY ANNOUNCES SNAP REPLACEMENT BENEFITS FOR CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS IMPACTED BY STORM SANDY
(HARTFORD,
CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that over 73,000
low-income Connecticut households enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) will receive
storm-related food replacement benefits on Saturday.
The
state’s application for $4.5 million in SNAP replacement benefits for
residents in areas hit hardest by power outages and flooding resulting
from Storm Sandy was approved in two stages this week by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.
“For
many families, the replacement of these benefits can mean the
difference between having a meal and going hungry,” said Governor
Malloy. “I thank the Obama Administration and, particularly, USDA Food
and Nutrition Service officials for their swift and thorough response to
Connecticut’s appeal for replacement food benefits. The fact that we
can work together so closely at the state and federal levels is a
critical factor in bringing genuine relief to Connecticut residents.”
Connecticut
joins Rhode Island, New York, Maryland and Virginia in gaining federal
approval to issue automatic, replacement benefits to eligible households
in certain areas affected by the storm.
The
replacement benefits were approved for SNAP households in all
municipalities within Fairfield and New London counties, in addition to
49 other Connecticut towns where more than 50% of residents lost power
for at least four hours.
A
total of 73,383 SNAP-enrolled households (over 130,000 people) will
automatically receive 25% 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.
“This
equates to replacement benefits ranging from $4 to over $300, depending
on income and household size,” said Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby of
the Department of Social Services, the administering agency for SNAP.
“The average replacement benefit is estimated at $62.”
The
automatic benefit increase will go to SNAP-enrolled households in the
following cities and towns (all of Fairfield and New London Counties and
49 additional municipalities):
Fairfield County
- Bethel, Bridgeport, Brookfield, Danbury, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, New Fairfield, Newtown, Norwalk, Redding, Ridgefield, Sherman, Shelton, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport, Wilton
New London County
- Bozrah, Colchester, East Lyme, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Ledyard, Lebanon, Lisbon, Lyme, Montville, New London, Norwich, North Stonington, Old Lyme, Preston, Salem, Sprague, Stonington, Voluntown, Waterford
Additional cities/towns
- Ashford, Avon, Barkhamsted, Bethany, Bethlehem, Bolton, Branford, Bridgewater, Canterbury, Chaplin, Chester , Clinton, Colebrook, Columbia, Cornwall, Coventry, Deep River, East Haddam, East Haven, Eastford, Essex, Glastonbury, Guilford, Haddam, Harwinton, Hebron, Hampton, Kent, Killingworth, Madison, Mansfield, Marlborough, Milford, Morris, New Hartford, Norfolk, North Branford, Orange, Oxford, Roxbury, Salisbury, Scotland, Seymour, Sterling, Tolland, Westbrook, Willington, Windham, Woodbury.
DSS
officials used state power outage and damage assessments to determine
the geographical areas to be covered by SNAP replacement benefits, in
accordance with federal program guidelines. Commissioner Bremby noted
that Connecticut’s 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.
Individual requests for replacement benefits
SNAP
recipients who lost food as a result of Storm Sandy can also make a
special request for replacement benefits, regardless of where they live
in Connecticut. Individual requests may be made for reimbursement of
the cost of food originally purchased with SNAP benefits in October and
spoiled through power outage or other Sandy-related damage.
For information on the individual SNAP benefit replacement process, please visit www.211ct.org or call 2-1-1. Storm-related food loss must be reported by November 28, 2012, at 4:30 p.m.
The
federal government approved an extended timeframe for this process for
Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and West Virginia.
The
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food
stamps, is the nation’s main anti-hunger program for low-income
individuals and families. In Connecticut, the program currently enrolls
212,000 households.
###
For Immediate Release: November 8, 2012
Contact: Andrew Doba
860-524-7308 (office)
860-770-8090 (cell)
Twitter: @GovMalloyOffice
Facebook: Office of Governor Dannel P. Malloy
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