Page 1366
West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 16
West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 14 Chapter 16 Specific SNAP Requirements
16.3 EMERGENCY SNAP ASSISTANCE FOR DISASTER VICTIMS The decision to implement Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP), a modified version of the regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or to utilize regular SNAP depends on the nature of the disaster. All purchase restrictions applicable to SNAP, including the prohibition on soda purchases under the soda restriction policy, also apply to D-SNAP benefits. 16.3.1 PRE-CONDITION FOR AUTHORIZATION OF THE DISASTER PROGRAM The following pre-conditions must be met before the D-SNAP can be authorized: • The President must sign a proclamation for an Individual Assistance Disaster Declaration in a designated area of West Virginia. • Commercial channels of food distribution (wholesale and retail food outlets) must have been disrupted and subsequently restored. • The regular SNAP must be unable to handle the increased number of households needing food assistance expeditiously. Commercial channels of food distribution are disrupted under one or more of the following conditions directly caused by the disaster: • Retail food outlets are closed. • Normal operating hours of food outlets are reduced to the extent that a household’s opportunity to purchase food supplies is significantly reduced. • Power failure significantly restricts the operation of food outlets. • Household access to retail food outlets is limited because of disruption to transportation such as damage to roads, bridges or disruption of public transportation. • Unusually heavy demand for food exists such that a household’s opportunity to purchase food supplies is significantly reduced. • Delivery of food supplies to food outlets is disrupted to the extent that a household’s opportunity to purchase food supplies is significantly reduced. Commercial channels of food distribution will be considered restored when conditions of operations have been improved to the extent that households have reasonable access to food outlets with sufficient food supplies.