In the past, we’ve written about a number of topics relevant to SNAP EBT customers. There was our article on meat markets that take SNAP EBT. Then we covered Maine grocery stores that accept SNAP EBT benefits. Also, the farmers markets where you can pay for fresh produce with SNAP EBT.
SNAP EBT Recipients Disaster Relief
Given the recent flooding in Maine, I wanted to share another benefit that’s available to those who use SNAP EBT. In a recent press conference, Maine Governor Janet Mills announced that recipients who may have lost food because of power outages will have the chance to replace it.
Also this from Bangor station WABI: “If you’ve lost food due to a power outage that lasts longer than eight hours, you can actually ask the Department of Health and Human Services to replace one month’s worth of benefits to purchase new food which can be really, really helpful,” said Alex Carter, Policy Advocate, Maine Equal Justice.
SNAP EBT recipients food replacement form
The Maine government Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has a form available online that SNAP EBT recipients can complete to get a replacement of their benefits. Here are some of the requirements spelled out on the SNAP loss and replacement form:
Benefits or food destroyed after receipt can be replaced by the Department if the loss was due to a
Household Misfortune. Household Misfortune may include, but is not limited to, fire, flood, storm, loss of
electricity (for any reason, including disconnections), equipment failure, and special disaster declarations. Describe the incident – include as much relevant information as possible including:
- what caused the loss
- name of utility provider and account #
- length of power outage, if applicable
- name on account if different than above
This is not the first time that the state of Maine has offered benefits replacements for SNAP EBT users who are affected by a disaster, natural or otherwise. Of course, there were benefits that were extended during the pandemic. Plus, in 2019, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service authorized a benefits replacement for households to replace food lost as a result of a storm that caused widespread power outages starting on October 17, 2019.
Getting online to replace SNAP EBT benefits
We realize that one of the challenges of having to file for these SNAP EBT replacement benefits online is what do you do if you are displaced or don’t have power or access to the Internet? Here’s our article on where you can go to charge your electronics, get online or access the Internet.
If you have information about these resources that you can share, we’d love to hear from you. Please post a comment with a link for more information.
Finally, how do you know when it is time to throw away spoiled food? Here is our article on how to know if food is bad after a power outage and/or flood.