SNAP Misfortune Replacement Benefits after Weekend Nor'Easter
We hope you and your loved ones braved Saturday's epic winter storm - over 2 feet of snow in some parts of MA, extremely high wind gusts and extensive power outages - especially on the South Shore, Cape and Islands. See Boston Globe story from noon Sunday. The Mass Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) reported nearly 50K MA households without power as of 8 AM Sunday and electric crews were still working on reconnecting power.
This eblast is to remind Coalition members that households getting SNAP who lost power for 4+ hours and as a result had to toss food unsafe to eat can request SNAP replacement benefits for the value of the food lost that was purchased with SNAP - up to their monthly SNAP (including Emergency Allotments). The household has to report the loss to DTA within 10 days of the loss.
A household can report the loss a number of ways:
- Call the DTA Assistance Line at 877-382-2363: Either via automated prompts (after selecting a language, press 5 and then 1) or by reaching a worker and verbally reporting the loss of food;
- By sending in a written note though DTAConnect. Be sure to select the “misfortune” verification category to flag the report for DTA. If doing this option, follow the guidance for a self-declaration so the household doesn't need to send in something in writing twice! OR
- Go in person to a local DTA office - BUT check if the DTA office is open before recommending a client go in person.
Once the report is made, the household needs to follow up within 10 days with a written self-declaration or with DTA’s misfortune form.
We are hoping National Grid and EverSource will provide DTA with a list of the streets where households lost power, as they did during the October 2021 Nor'Easter - making the process simpler for DTA and for households. For now, please advise families how to request replacement benefits and let us know of any issues or questions.
Here's MLRI's website on SNAP replacement requests: Masslegalservices.