Gov. Beshear: Disaster Food Benefits Available to More Kentuckians Affected by Floods

Residents, workers in 22 counties approved for disaster food benefits

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 21, 2021) – Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday that more Kentuckians affected by recent flooding may be eligible to apply for disaster food benefits during a six-day application process that begins Wednesday, June 23 and ends Monday, June 28, 2021.

Gov. Beshear’s administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have received approval for the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). 

These are benefits for flood-affected residents who lived or worked in the following counties between Feb. 26 and March 14, 2021, which received an Individual Assistance Declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Anderson, Boyd, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Greenup, Jackson, Jessamine, Knott, Laurel, Lawrence, Leslie, Letcher, Lincoln, Madison, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Warren and Woodford.

“Once again we are thankful for FEMA’s continued partnership in helping Kentuckians rebuild from devastating flooding,” said Gov. Beshear. “Now, more Kentuckians can receive the support they need to feed their families as far too many continue to be impacted by effects of historic flooding.”

Residents of affected counties who would not ordinarily be eligible under SNAP guidelines may qualify temporarily if they lived or worked in these flooded areas of Kentucky. A person may be eligible for D-SNAP benefits if their home or belongings were damaged or destroyed and if they have unreimbursed disaster-related expenses or a loss or reduction of income as a result of the flooding.

On June 7, when nine initial counties were announced as eligible for food assistance, Gov. Beshear said his administration was seeking D-SNAP approval from USDA for 22 additional counties.

Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) Commissioner Marta Miranda-Straub said flood victims are encouraged to apply for D-SNAP benefits by calling the DCBS Call Services Center at 855-306-8959. They may alternatively choose to apply in person at the local offices in the county DCBS offices listed below, but phone applications can make the process go more quickly. Approved applicants will pick up their benefit cards in the local office.

Here are the local DCBS office addresses for in-person application and picking up D-SNAP cards:

•  Anderson County: 117 Hilltop Drive, Lawrenceburg, KY 40342
•  Boyd County: 1539 Greenup Ave., Suite 201, Ashland, KY 41101
•  Clark County: 1113 Pioneer Drive, Winchester, KY 40391
•  Fayette County: 455 Park Place, Suite 120B, Lexington, KY 40505
•  Franklin County: 677 Comanche Trail, Frankfort, KY 40601  
• Greenup County: 20 Lil Way, Greenup, KY 41144
• Jackson County: 1038 McCammon Ridge Rd., McKee, KY 40447
• Jessamine County: 111 Edgewood Plaza, Nicholasville, KY 40356
• Knott County: 125 Cowtown Rd., Hindman, KY 41822
• Laurel County: 31 S. Laurel Rd., London, KY 40744
• Lawrence County: 180 Bulldog Lane, Suite 1, Louisa, KY 41230
• Leslie County: 21150 U.S. 421, Hyden, KY 41749
• Letcher County: 415 State Highway, 2034 B, Whitesburg, KY 41815
• Lincoln County: 144 Frontier Blvd., Stanford KY 40484   
• Madison County: 204 Pauline Drive, Berea, KY 40404
• Madison County: 304 Anna Hume Blvd., Richmond, KY 40475
• Morgan County: 405 Prestonsburg St., West Liberty, KY 41472
• Owsley County: 33 Highway 11 South, Booneville, KY 41314
• Perry County: : 1332 S. Kentucky Highway 15, Hazard, KY 41701
• Pulaski County: 650 N. Main St., Suite 250, Somerset, KY 42501
• Rockcastle County: 45 New Broadhead Rd., Mt. Vernon, KY 40456
• Warren County: 356 Suwanee Trail St., Bowling Green, KY 42103
• Woodford County: 115 Crossfield Drive, Versailles, KY 40383

Daily application times and local office hours for D-SNAP in the 22 counties are:

Local DCBS staff will determine eligibility for victims based on available income and liquid resources minus unreimbursed disaster-related expenses. All resources except cash on hand and bank account balances will be excluded from the eligibility determination. Current benefit levels are based on the current table:

Deadline to Apply for Federal Disaster Individual Assistance Program is July 8
President Joe Biden issued a major disaster declaration April 23, at Gov. Beshear’s request, to make federal funding available for Kentucky families and communities to recover from the severe flooding Feb. 27 to March 14, 2021. On May 28, Gov. Beshear announced additional assistance for 22 more counties affected by the historic flooding.

The 31 declared, eligible counties include Anderson, Breathitt, Boyd, Clark, Clay, Estill, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Greenup, Jackson, Jessamine, Johnson, Knott, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lincoln, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Warren and Woodford.

This is the largest award for displaced individuals from damage to homes since a massive flooding event impacted the state in May 2010, when more than 4,200 structures were affected. In this case, counties have reported more than 1,200 instances of damage to infrastructure, debris removal and emergency measures, costing more than $72 million.

Separate from D-SNAP deadlines, the deadline to apply for federal disaster individual assistance is Thursday, July 8, 2021.

Kentuckians can register and seek in person assistance at any FEMA registration support center, regardless of what county they live in. Or, instead of visiting a support center, homeowners and renters can also register for federal disaster assistance in one of three other ways:

• Visiting the website DisasterAssistance.gov;
• Downloading the FEMA app; or
• Calling 800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462-7585). Multilingual operators are available seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time. Multilingual operators are available during those hours (press 2 for Spanish).
• Those who use a Relay service, such as a videophone, Innocaption or CapTel, should provide their specific number assigned to that service. It is important that FEMA can contact you. Phone calls from FEMA may come from an unidentified number.

Note: Locations, dates and times of the registration support centers are subject to change based on needs or circumstances. Please call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 to check availability.

For more information on Kentucky’s disaster recovery, visit https://kyem.ky.gov and www.fema.gov/disaster/4595. You may also follow FEMA on www.facebook.com/fema and Twitter @FEMARegion4.

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