Posted August 22, 20248:02 pm
By The Ohio Department of Job & Family Services
COLUMBUS, OHIO – Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Director Matt Damschroder today announced that Ohio has requested and received a waiver from the federal government to automatically replace the benefits of certain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who lost food during the recent power outages in northeast Ohio. SNAP recipients in Geauga and Lake counties, as well as 52 ZIP codes in Cuyahoga County, will automatically receive a portion of their monthly benefits by August 30.
“Governor Mike DeWine directed all state agencies to find ways to help individuals impacted by the recent widespread power outages in northeast Ohio,” said Damschroder. “ODJFS secured a federal waiver that will get replacement benefits in the hands of SNAP recipients more quickly by providing blanket approval across Geauga, Lake, and parts of Cuyahoga County. Those not eligible for blanket approval will still have until September 5, 2024, to apply for replacement benefits thanks to the extension we announced last week.”
Food assistance is provided in Ohio through the federal SNAP program, which is administered by ODJFS through County Departments of Job and Family Services. Households that lose food purchased with SNAP benefits due to a power outage of at least four hours can apply to receive replacement benefits for perishable food the household lost (such as fresh meat and dairy products), as long as it does not exceed their monthly allotment.
The blanket replacement was made possible after ODJFS successfully secured a waiver from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, which establishes SNAP guidelines. The waiver covers SNAP recipients in all of Geauga and Lake Counties, as well as the following ZIP codes in Cuyahoga County:
44101, 44102, 44103, 44104, 44105, 44106, 44107, 44108, 44109, 44110, 44111, 44112, 44113, 44114, 44115, 44116, 44117, 44118, 44119, 44120, 44121, 44122, 44123, 44124, 44125, 44126, 44127, 44128, 44129, 44130, 44131, 44132, 44133, 44134, 44135, 44136, 44137, 44138, 44139, 44140, 44141, 44142, 44143, 44144, 44145, 44146, 44147, 44181, 44188, 44190, 44070, 44022
The federal government set the amount of replacement benefits a SNAP recipient is eligible for based on two factors: the fact that only perishable foods, not shelf-stable foods, would be impacted by a power loss, and when they received their last monthly benefit payment. The closer their last payment was to the date of the storm, the more benefits will be replaced. The replacement percentage will be based on the household’s last regular benefit amount made available before the storm, as shown below:
Date of Last Benefit Payment and Replacement Percentage:
July 30 through August 6, 2024 - 60%
July 22 through July 29, 2024 - 45%
July 14 through July 21, 2024 - 30%
July 7 through July 13, 2024 - 15%
ODJFS will automatically deposit the allowable amounts into recipients’ SNAP accounts by August 30. Individuals in the impacted counties and ZIP codes do not need to do anything additional to receive these automatic replacements.
Last week, ODJFS announced it was extending the usual 10-day period for claiming replacement benefits to 30 days. This means those not eligible for blanket replacement have until September 5, 2024, to complete JFS Form 07222 and submit it to their County Department of Job and Family Services (CDJFS). The CDJFS will verify eligibility before replacing benefits. Households should be prepared to provide proof they experienced the extended power outage. This includes screenshots of news reports, text or email alerts, or outage maps that show their specific area was without power for four hours or more.
Source: The Ohio Department of Job & Family Services - SNAPPowerBlanketReplacement.pdf (ohio.gov)