Georgia residents can start applying for D-SNAP in early Nov.

GEORGIA (WJBF) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that people in parts of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee recovering from Hurricane Helene may be eligible for food assistance through the USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP).

Approximately 982,930 households in Georgia, 152,572 households in North Carolina and 54,692 households in Tennessee are estimated to be eligible for this relief to help with grocery expenses.

Through this program, which USDA makes available through states in the aftermath of disasters, people who may not be eligible for SNAP in normal circumstances can participate if they meet specific criteria, including disaster income limits and qualifying disaster-related expenses.

Georgia will operate D-SNAP in four phases:

October 21, 2024 – October 26, 2024 for these counties:

• Bryan
• Bulloch
• Chatham
• Effingham
• Evans
• Liberty
• Long

October 29, 2024 – November 4, 2024 for these counties:

• Atkinson
• Bacon
• Ben Hill
• Berrien
• Brantley
• Brooks
• Camden
• Charlton
• Clinch
• Coffee
• Colquitt
• Cook
• Echols
• Glynn
• Irwin
• Lanier
• Lowndes
• Pierce
• Tift
• Ware

November 7, 2024 – November 14, 2024 for these counties:

• Burke
• Columbia
• Glascock
• Jefferson
• Jenkins
• Lincoln
• McDuffie
• Richmond
• Screven
• Washington

November 18, 2024 – November 23 , 2024 for these counties:

• Appling
• Candler
• Emanuel
• Jeff Davis
• Johnson
• Laurens
• Montgomery
• Tattnall
• Telfair
• Toombs
• Treutlen
• Wayne
• Wheeler

How to Apply for D-SNAP :

To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must either live or work in an identified disaster area, have been affected by the disaster, and meet certain eligibility criteria. Eligible households will receive one month of benefits – equal to the maximum monthly amount for a SNAP household of their size – that they can use to purchase groceries at SNAP-authorized stores or from select retailers online . For more, visit Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services

Current SNAP households are not eligible for D-SNAP. However, USDA has also approved Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee and to automatically issue supplemental SNAP benefits to current SNAP households in the affected areas to bring their allotment up to the maximum amount for their household size if they do not already receive that amount. SNAP households in any remaining counties may request supplemental benefits from their state SNAP agency.

Click here to start the application process.

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