Disaster Food Program (D-SNAP)

Created on: 
Nov 15 2019

Online Processing

See ACES Screens and Online Pages for an example of pages or screens used in this chapter.

 What is Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)?

D-SNAP is a special program implemented to allow a one-time basic food allotment in the event the Governor declares a state of emergency due to a federal, statewide, or localized disaster. See EAZ Manual- Emergency Assistance Programs Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

 When can Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) be issued?

D-SNAP can only be issued when the disaster demographics are present in ACES.online parameters and the disaster mode shows A – Authorized. D-SNAP can only be issued to households not active on Basic Food, Washington Combined Application Program (WASHCAP),  State Food Assistance Program (FAP), or Transitional Food Assistance (TFA).

NOTE: When a state of emergency has been declared, the disaster demographics are given to ITS Customer Support. Designated ITS Customer Support personnel enter the parameters into the Disaster Details page in ACES.online.

 Where can I see the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) parameters?

The D-SNAP parameters can be viewed in ACES.online on the Disaster Details page. From the Welcome back page of ACES.online, under Other Links section, click Parameters. On the Parameters page, under Location section, click Disaster.  To see other parameters for ACES Mainframe and Online, see ACES Manual - Parameters.  

 Who can be eligible for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)?

People who live or work within the disaster declared area and meet the criteria described in EAZ Manual Emergency Assistance Programs - Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

​ What letters generate for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)?

The following letters generate when a client is approved or denied from D-SNAP:

  • Letter 002-34 (Approval for Disaster Assistance) generates when Disaster Food Assistance is approved.
  • Letter 004-09 (Denial for Disaster Food Assistance) generates when Disaster Food Assistance is denied.

 What reports generate for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)?

The following reports generate in Cypress for D-SNAP:

  • Disaster Assistance Employee count – Food Benefits (DSHS Employees).​
  • This report lists households that have applied for D-SNAP where a current DSHS State employee resides.
  • United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service – Disaster Food Program. This report contains daily and cumulative records of county wide D-SNAP benefit information including:
  • The application date.
  • Total number of households approved for New, Ongoing, Replacement and/or Supplemental benefits.
  • Total number of person approved for New, Ongoing, Replacement and/or Supplemental benefits.
  • Total value of New, Ongoing, Replacement and/or Supplemental benefits approved.
  • Average benefit approved per household.
  • Total number of households denied for D-SNAP.
  • Disaster Food Daily Summary Report. This report contains a county wide breakdown based on the application date and includes:
  • The application date.
  • Total number of households approved for New, Ongoing, Replacement and/or Supplemental benefits.
  • Total number of person approved for New, Ongoing, Replacement and/or Supplemental benefits.
  • Total value of New, Ongoing, Replacement and/or Supplemental benefits approved.
  • Average benefit approved per household.
  • Total number of households denied for D-SNAP.

Online Processing 

 How do I screen Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)?

To screen for D-SNAP, see ACES Manual - How do I screen an application for a client?

  • During ACES screening, select Food Assistance (FS) – Disaster Food Program on the Programs page.

How do I process Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)?

If the household has no other Assistance Units (AUs) active and there are no adjustments necessary in the prior months, it is not necessary to go into each application month to process.   

If there are existing active cases for this household in ACES, under Process Application Months, any months prior to the ongoing month display a hard edit. 

  • Click on each month that displays a hard edit and start at step 4 of  the ACES Manual - How do I initiate and complete an interview? to process each application month.
    • During processing, on the AU Summary page, the Disaster Cd field defaults to A-New Application and cannot be changed.

NOTE: Clients currently active on Basic Food, State Food Assistance Program (FAP), Washington Combined Application Program (WASHCAP) or Transitional Food Assistance (TFA) may be eligible for food benefit replacement on their current Assistance Unit (AU). See ACES Manual - How do I replace Basic Food benefits lost in a natural disaster?  During processing of replacement benefits, on the AU Details page, enter Existing Application (E) in the Disaster Cd field for the current month to indicate that the replacement is for an existing client.

How do I finalize Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)?

To finalize an application, take the following steps:

  1. Go to the Case Actions page. See ACES Manual - How do I access Case Actions?
  2. Click the  Finalize link.
  3. Click Details link, review details on the Eligibility Details page.
  4. Click Confirm Benefits for each pending month from the Eligibility Details page.   
  5. Click Commit Changes to confirm.
  6. To exit the Case Actions page, click the Close button.
Note: Disaster benefits can only be issued for the current month. If approved, the Assistant Unit (AU) and client status displays A – Active in the current month.

What denial codes should I use to deny Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)?

An Assistance Unit (AU) can be manually denied when a client doesn't’t meet the eligibility criteria described in EAZ Manual Emergency Assistance Programs – Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

From the AU Details page, select one of the following Reason Codes in the Reason field for each client in the Clients section, or in the AU section. 

The disaster denial reason codes are:

  • 591 – Not in a Disaster Area
  • 592 – No Disaster Related Loss
  • 593 – Disaster – Living in a Shelter
  • 594 – Disaster – Maximum Amount Received
  • 595 – Disaster – Exceeds Financial Limit

The Disaster Gross Income Standard is applied to each household. If the income for the household size exceeds the Disaster Gross Income Standard, the AU is denied with Reason Code 320 – Exceeds Gross Income Limit. See EAZ Manual – Standards–Basic Food for the Disaster Gross Income Standard.

For historical or ongoing months, the AU and client status will display Denied (D) with Reason 222 – Eligibility Not Established for the Month.

 

See ACES Screens and Online Pages for an example of pages or screens used in this chapter.