DCFS: SNAP replacement benefits available for victims of recent storms, tornadoes

Michael Scheidt
·1 min read

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Storms rolled through Louisiana on Wednesday, April 10. Tornadoes hit in St. Francisville, Morganza, Lake Charles and Slidell, according to the National Weather Service.

The storms caused damage in the Baton Rouge area and knocked out power for some residents.

If you live in an area that lost power and food due to these storms, the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services might be able to help.

DCFS said, if you were without power for over 24 hours “or otherwise lost food purchased with SNAP benefits due to the April 10 storms, you may request SNAP replacement benefits.”

There are two ways to apply for replacement SNAP benefits.

Severe weather leaves downed power lines, fallen trees in Pointe Coupee Parish

You can find the DCFS office closest to you and fill out a SNAP 38 form or download the same form and submit it. The form is also available in Spanish and Vietnamese.

If you download and fill out the form, you can mail it to DPC, P. O. Box 260031, Baton Rouge, LA 70826-9918, fax it to 225-663-3164 or drop it off at the DCFS office closest to you.

DCFS said they work “with the Louisiana Public Service Commission to obtain reports of specific areas of power outages.”

According to DCFS, “after confirming the length of power outages in your area with the Louisiana Public Service Commission, DCFS will determine your eligibility for replacement benefits.”

They said, “if DCFS cannot verify a household’s power outage through these reports, SNAP recipients may be asked for verification of their power loss.”

If additional information is needed, caseworkers will contact you, DCFS said.

If they decide that you should get replacement benefits, DCFS said they expect “to issue benefits to your account within 10 days.”

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