Monmouth County Residents May be Eligible for Disaster Food Assistance

The following is a message from Monmouth County:

Federal food assistance benefits for individuals and families in Monmouth County affected by Super storm Sandy, who are not already enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), will begin on Monday, Nov 26 and run for seven business days, concluding on Tuesday, Dec. 4.

Disaster SNAP, called D-SNAP is a federal safety-net subsidy available only to people who are at risk for hunger because their disaster-recovery expenses have left them without enough money to buy food and who were without power and as a result lost perishable food supplies.

In Monmouth County, D-SNAP, applications will be accepted on the following schedule:

• If your last name begins with the letters A-M:
  • Monday, Nov. 26
  • Wednesday, Nov. 28
  • Friday, Nov. 30
  • Tuesday, Dec. 4

• If your last name begins with the letters N-Z:
  • Tuesday, Nov. 2
  • Thursday, Nov. 29
  • Monday, Dec. 3
  • Tuesday, Dec. 4

Applications will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the following Monmouth County locations:

• Asbury Park City Hall, 1 Municipal Plaza, Asbury Park
• Monmouth County Fire Academy, 1027 NJ Hwy. 33 East, Howell
• Bayshore Senior Center, 100 Main St., Keansburg
• Croydon Hall, 900 Leonardville Rd., Leonardo Section of Middletown
• Monmouth County Library Headquarters, 125 Symmes Rd. Manalapan (extended hours to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28 and Thursday, Nov. 29 only)
• Red Bank Resource Network, 103 Shrewsbury Ave., Ground floor, Red Bank
• Wall Township Municipal Complex, 2700 Allaire Rd., Wall

Strict criteria must be met in order for people to qualify; specifically, applicants must provide:

• Identification and proof of residency – a driver’s license, for example, would serve as both.

• Pay stubs and bank statements (cash, checking and savings) for the 30 days from October 28th through November 26th. Under the guidelines, for a family of one, the income limit is $2,268 with a benefit of $200; a family of two is $2,965 limit with a $367 benefit; a family of three is $3,416 limit with a $526 benefit; and, a family of four is $4,034 limit with a $668 benefit.

• Receipts that show more than $100 spent on disaster-related expenses between October 28 and November 26. The cost of replacing food cannot be included in the $100, but restaurant expenses are allowed. Related expenses may include: temporary shelter in a motel, Home/business repairs, evacuation expenses, disaster clean up expenses, disaster related vehicle repairs, gasoline for a generator, and replacement of personal items, such as clothing or household items, such as appliances, tools, educational materials.

Eligible recipients will receive their benefits on an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card that only can be used for the purchase of grocery food items.

Application rules and eligibility for D-SNAP have been modified based on lessons learned after Tropical Storm Irene in September 2011. Misinformation about the program caused long lines at designated application sites and created a potential for fraudulent activity.

New Jersey was approved to launch D-SNAP for all residents in 16 counties and by zip-code in two other counties. It will be offered in Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties as well several zip codes in Burlington and Cumberland counties.

Current SNAP recipients from the 16 affected New Jersey counties listed above should not apply for this program because they already received a 30 percent October replacement allocation on their EBT card and will receive a supplemental benefit by December 7, 2012.

Statewide, an estimated 100,000 households hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy may be eligible for at least $200 in electronic benefits.

Applicants from the designated areas must go to the D-SNAP location in their own county. However, displaced residents can apply in the county where they are currently staying. Residents are strongly encouraged to take note of the required criteria in order to ensure eligibility. For a list of sites and additional information, log onto www.njsnap.org.

Below is a chart that shows D-SNAP income limits and benefits by family size: