Thousands of Oregonians have longer to request storm-related food aid
Published 8:01 am Thursday, December 5, 2024
Thousands of Oregonians in 22 counties who receive federal aid and recently had to pitch food following storm-related power outages have more time to request replacement benefits.
Oregon’s Department of Human Services has obtained federal approval to give Oregonians hit by the strong winds and heavy rainfall on Nov. 19 to 20 a total of 30 days to request replacement food benefits. Normally, the federal government, which is in charge of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, only allows SNAP beneficiaries 10 days to seek reimbursement for wasted food.
The extension means that those who were affected have until Dec. 18 to make the request over the phone, at a local office, by email or by regular mail.
The extension applies to a majority of Oregon’s counties. Anyone in Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Coos, Deschutes, Douglas, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Malheur, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Umatilla, Washington and Yamhill counties do not have to prove that they were affected by power outages.
During the storm, power outages affected more than 24,000 households. Jake Sunderland, a DHS spokesman, said the department estimates about 6,000 households will qualify for the extension.
To get replacement aid, people have to provide the total cost of the food that they lost and they may have to provide proof that they were affected if they don’t live in one of the approved counties. The form that needs to be filled out asks for information about the food that was lost.
People won’t have to provide receipts.
SNAP provides food benefits to nearly 730,000 people in Oregon. The benefits average $313 per month and are meant to supplement the food budgets of low-income people.
A recent study by Oregon State University found that an increasing number of people in Oregon suffer from “food insecurity — the ability to put enough food on the table every day in a predictable manner. It said that nearly 13% of state residents — about 530,000 individuals — suffered from “food insecurity” in 2023 alone.
