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Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP)

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DSNAP - Hurricane Delta

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) received approval today (Friday, Oct. 23, 2020), to begin virtual Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) operations in 5 parishes to provide additional food aid to families impacted by Hurricane Delta.

The application process will run in a single phase from Monday, Oct. 26,  to Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020.

Approved Parishes

  • Acadia
  • Calcasieu
  • Cameron
  • Jefferson Davis
  • Vermilion

Those who received DSNAP for Hurricane Laura in these five parishes will automatically receive a second month of DSNAP benefits due to the impact of Hurricane Delta.

Residents in the approved parishes will call the LAHelpU Customer Service Center to apply and be interviewed for DSNAP. The call center can be reached at 1-888-524-3578 (select language, then press 3-3-1), between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Residents can call on any day during the application period. There will be no alphabet-system schedule, as there had been during DSNAP after Hurricane Laura. Click here for Hurricane Delta DSNAP details.

Residents are encouraged, but not required, to take the following steps before calling to apply for DSNAP:

Residents who pre-registered or applied for DSNAP after Hurricane Laura (or anytime since March 2020) do not need to pre-register again.

Note: 

  • Residents in 14 parishes will receive automatic 45% replacement DSNAP benefits due to widespread power outages from Hurricane Delta. Replacement benefits are intended to replace DSNAP benefits previously used to purchase food that was then lost due to a disaster. The 14 parishes: Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Grant, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Morehouse, Rapides, St. Landry, Vermilion, Vernon, and Winn.
  • DSNAP recipients outside the above-named parishes may request replacement benefits if they suffered food loss due to Hurricane Delta and had power outages of 24+ hours. The application deadline is Friday, November 9th. Click here for DSNAP replacement application details.

 

SNAP Recipients Not Eligible for DSNAP

SNAP recipients are not eligible for DSNAP and should not apply. Information about SNAP benefits changes related to Hurricane Delta, including replacement benefits for food lost due to power outages, can be found at dcfs.la.gov/SNAPstorms.

 

Pre-register Before A DSNAP Activation

Be ready if DSNAP becomes available for your community. DSNAP pre-registration is simple and can be done online through the CAFÉ customer portal. 

Benefits of DSNAP Pre-Registration

  • Pre-Registration will speed up the application process that determines final eligibility after DSNAP is authorized.
  • You may not have access to necessary information following a disaster or evacuation.
Purchase Hot Foods with SNAP & DSNAP Benefits
Louisiana recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) can use their benefits to purchase "hot" or prepared foods, following a waiver approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).

 

Dial 211 for Food Assistance
211 Logo

211 is an easy to remember telephone number that connects callers to information about critical health and human services available in their community.

It's single access point for details about food pantries and other food assistance sources near you.

Learn more about the 211 Louisiana Statewide Network

DCFS Customer Service Chatbot - Try it!
DCFS is building a chatbot that can provide quick answers to questions about our food assistance programs. It's a work in progress, but we invite you to try it. Help us perfect this exciting new customer service tool.

About DSNAP