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Part XX Appendix II

Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Administrator’s Planning Guide

Introduction

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can authorize the implementation of a short-term Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) when there is a major disaster. The purpose of the D-SNAP is to provide emergency food assistance to disaster victims as effectively and efficiently as possible. As a result, the D-SNAP is much more streamlined than the regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Eligibility criteria are much less stringent, and generally most items of information do not need to be verified. In order to implement a D-SNAP in the throes of an emergency, advance planning is crucial.

The Commonwealth of Virginia has submitted a plan to USDA to outline how the D-SNAP will operate in Virginia. The issuance of cards will be handled through the existing EBT system. This Administrator’s Planning Guide provides guidance for planning for the implementation of a D-SNAP on the local level.

Briefly, the D-SNAP includes a determination of eligibility and an issuance of benefits. There must be a separation of duties between the eligibility and issuance tasks.

The eligibility portion is accomplished by:

• Completing the application on-line with a web-based disaster application. The application must be printed and signed by the applicant and interviewer. The web-based application screens for matches with VaCMS, the Virginia Department of Social Service Employee Database, APECS, and with the Disaster Database itself. The web-based application calculates the disaster benefit and produces the Internal Action Form for the eligibility staff to authorize the issuance of a vault card.

• If logistics are such that paper applications are used, the paper application is taken, signed by the applicant and interviewer, then data-entered into the web-based system for matching and benefit calculation.

• Either process must ensure that all applicants are interviewed, and applications are signed and dated by the applicant and the interviewer.

The issuance portion is accomplished by:

• Automatic establishment of an EBT account and posting of benefits; • Issuance of vault cards as no initial EBT cards will be mailed; or

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