WASHINGTON, July 26, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that low-income New Mexico residents in parts of Rio Arriba and San Juan counties recovering from the impact of wildfires and flooding that began on June 17, 2024, could be eligible for a helping hand from the USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP).

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that approximately 25,140 additional households that may not normally be eligible under regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rules may qualify for D-SNAP – if they meet certain criteria, including the disaster income limits and have qualifying disaster-related expenses.

“USDA is committed to ensuring that New Mexico residents affected by recent wildfires and flooding get all the help they need,” Secretary Vilsack said. “The addition of these two counties will bring much needed relief to thousands more New Mexicans.”

To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must live or work in an identified disaster area, have been affected by the disaster, and meet certain D-SNAP 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 to meet their temporary food needs as they settle back home following the disaster. New Mexico will operate its D-SNAP application August 12, 2024, through August 19, 2024, except for August 18, 2024. The state will share additional information about D-SNAP application dates and locations through local media.

The timing of D-SNAP varies with the unique circumstances of each disaster, but always begins after commercial channels of food distribution have been restored and families are able to purchase and prepare food at home. Before operating a D-SNAP, a state must ensure that the proper public information, staffing, and resources are in place.

Although current SNAP households in the identified areas are not eligible for D-SNAP, they may request supplemental SNAP benefits to raise their allotment to the maximum amount for their household size for one month if they don’t already receive that amount.

The D-SNAP announcement today is the latest in a battery of USDA actions taken to help New Mexico residents cope with the wildfires and flood’s aftermath, which also include:

On July 19, 2024, FNS approved the New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) extension request to waive the statutory definition of "food" under Section 3(k)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, and companion regulations at 7 CFR 271.2. The initial waiver, approved on June 27, 2024, allows SNAP households in all 33 counties in New Mexico and the Mescalero Apache Reservation to purchase hot foods with SNAP benefits through July 26, 2024, in order to increase access to food after wildfires that began June 17, 2024. The extension waiver approval allows SNAP households in all 33 counties and the Mescalero Apache Reservation to continue to purchase hot foods through Aug. 25, 2024.

On July 3, 2024, FNS approved the New Mexico HSD request to operate Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) in the following zip codes: 88312, 88345, 88355, 88346 and 88340 in Lincoln County, Otero County, and the Mescalero Apache reservation in response to the impact of wildfires and flooding that began on June 17, 2024. Due to these incidents, President Joseph R. Biden issued a major disaster declaration with federal individual assistance for Lincoln County, and the Mescalero Apache reservation on June 20, 2024. The declaration was amended on June 23, 2024, to add Otero County and Mescalero Apache reservation. The state plans to operate the D-SNAP July 10, 2024, through July 12, 2024, and July 14, 2024, through July 17, 2024.

On June 27, 2024, FNS approved the New Mexico HSD to waive the statutory definition of "food" under Section 3(k)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, and companion regulations at 7 CFR 271.2. This waiver approval allows SNAP households in all 33 counties in New Mexico and the Mescalero Apache Reservation to purchase hot foods with SNAP benefits through July 26, 2024, in order to increase access to food after wildfires that began June 17, 2024. Retailers may need as much as 24-36 hours to make changes that will allow for sale of hot foods.

On June 21, 2024, FNS approved the New Mexico HSD request to waive the 10-day reporting requirement for food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost as a result of power outages due to wildfires that began on June 17, 2024. The waiver applies to Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation. The waiver is in effect through July 17, 2024.

For more information about this and other available aid, callers from New Mexico can dial 2-1-1 or 855-309-3766. For more information about New Mexico SNAP, visit Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, New Mexico.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of more than 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.

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