Applications are now open for D-SNAP in South Carolina after Helene

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – Hundreds of thousands of South Carolina residents affected by Hurricane Helene could soon receive help with their grocery bills.

Federal assistance has been approved through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or D-SNAP, for residents of more than two dozen counties who suffered damage or lost income from the hurricane.

People already enrolled in SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program, cannot receive D-SNAP under federal guidelines.

But lower- and middle-income South Carolina citizens in 28 counties may qualify if they meet certain requirements.

To qualify, South Carolinians must fall below a certain income threshold, which they can calculate here.

They must have suffered damage from Hurricane Helene, such as damage to their home or loss of income due to a disaster-related issue, such as the closure of their workplace.

The South Carolina Department of Social Services says federal guidelines state that food loss alone is not a qualifying factor for D-SNAP assistance.

The 28 counties whose residents may be eligible for D-SNAP will be split into two phases, based on when their residents can apply online.

People living in the counties in phase one — Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee, Hampton, Laurens, McCormick, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York — can apply for D-SNAP this week through Friday, November 15.

People living in phase two counties – Abbeville, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Jasper, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens and Richland – can do so from Sunday, November 17 to Thursday, November 1. 21.

“This requires several forms of identification to be submitted during online pre-registration – things like a copy of your driver’s license or South Carolina identification card, as well as your proof of address, which shows that you lived in the county during Hurricane Helene. end of September. These are the requirements the FBI needs to gather,” said Connelly-Anne Ragley of DSS.

After pre-registration, a telephone interview will be scheduled for applicants.

“Questions are asked about: what damage have you sustained to your home? Was there any damage that was not covered by insurance or perhaps other FEMA funds you may receive? Did you have out-of-pocket expenses that prevented you from staying in your home? Ragley explained.

Opportunities to apply for and interview for D-SNAP assistance in person will be available in early December, with exact dates and locations to be announced after Thanksgiving.

But DSS encourages people to use the online application – which they can find by clicking here – and telephone interview process if they can.

“We don’t want anyone to have to wait in line for eight, 10, 12 hours,” Ragley said.

People who are approved will receive a card like a debit card, which they can use to purchase food from authorized SNAP retailers.

According to DSS, they should receive these cards in the mail approximately three days after approval, and these benefits will expire if not used for nine months.

SNAP recipients are in all eligible counties, but Kershaw County should have automatically received a disaster supplement on their EBT cards on Wednesday.

SNAP recipients who live in Kershaw County and have been affected by a disaster can file an affidavit at the designated location in Kershaw County next month to request a supplement to their October benefits.

Feel more informed, prepared and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletterAnd download our apps. Do you have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.