Florida
food stamp recipients will automatically receive an additional 40% of their September 2017 SNAP benefits without the need to file for replacement benefits in the following counties impacted by
Hurricane Irma:
Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Desoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gilchrist, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Suwanee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, and Wakulla.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service announced that it has approved the State of Florida’s request to issue the automatic, mass replacements of benefits.
Replacement benefits will be automatically issued to all
regular SNAP households in the affected counties, by means of an automated credit to their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.
The Florida Department of Children and Familes said that it is processing the replacement and benefits should be available on EBT cards by September 22, 2017.
Households that have already received replacement benefits based on a signed affidavit of loss are excluded from the mass replacement process.
The USDA noted that if a food stamp recepient submits an affidavit after receiving a mass replacement and requests an amount greater than the replacement benefit amount received, the household is only entitled to receive the difference between the requested amount and the amount previously replaced.
Replacement benefits cannot exceed the maximum monthly allotment for the household.
