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Public Benefits

Benefit Options & Issues After a Disaster

After a disaster, new public assistance benefits are sometimes made available to help people recover. However, sometimes those additional benefits are not made available and even previous benefits you may have had can be stopped or altered due to misinformation after the disaster. This page contains information about types of public assistance available after disasters, how to apply for public assistance, how to protect your current benefits, and more.

SNAP / FOOD STAMPS

What are food stamps/SNAP Benefits? 

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families, and provides economic benefits to communities. SNAP benefits are a monthly grant of money to be used only to buy food, issued on an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card.  

Who is eligible?  

Eligibility is determined on a household income and resource basis. The household is called an Eligibility Unit (EU). The combined monthly income of all household members after deductions may not exceed the programs maximum.  

How do I get SNAP benefits? 

To apply, an application must be completed and given to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. For more information, contact your nearest Department of Human Services Office (okdhslive.org for a directory). You can also apply online through www.okdhslive.org.   

Customer Service Contact:   

Customer Service line: 1-888-328-6551 

For problems with this website: (405) 522-5050. 

To replace your SNAP EBT Card: 1-888-328-6551. 

Oklahoma Department of Human Services also has applications for SoonerCare (Medicaid), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child Care assistance, and Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). All applications for this can be found online at www.okdhslive.org. Through the website you can upload documents required with the application, report changes, renew and re-open benefits, and find out who your case worker is.  

DISASTER FOOD STAMP BENEFITS 

Are special Food Stamp benefits available after a disaster? 

If the State deems your county an authorized disaster area, special food stamp policies will be activated. Disaster Food Stamp Assistance has special rules to follow, and some income guidelines apply. For example, to get Disaster Food Stamp Assistance, a person must either live or work in a disaster-declared county and answer “yes” to at least one of the following questions: 

  • Has your home or self-employment property been damaged or destroyed by the disaster? 
  • Does your household have any other disaster-caused expenses? 
  • Has your income been delayed, reduced, or stopped because of the disaster? 
  • Does your household have any cash or money in a bank account which you cannot get to because of the disaster? 

Under this special disaster program, there is a limit of one month’s assistance. After that one-month allotment, applicants wishing to continue food stamp benefits must apply for “regular” food stamps at their local DHHS office and meet the income and eligibility requirements for the regular food stamp program. Applicants must bring documents to prove their identity (such as driver’s license, wage stub, birth certificate) and where they live (such as rent or mortgage receipt, post office records, utility bills, driver’s license). Disaster Food Stamp Assistance applications will be audited after the event. People who get benefits they are not entitled to will be required to pay them back. 

What if I was already on food stamps but lost my food in the disaster?  

In cases when food purchased with EBT benefits is destroyed in a disaster affecting a participating household, that household may be eligible for the replacement of the actual value of loss, not to exceed the household’s one month SNAP allotment. The loss must be reported within ten days of the occurrence and the household’s disaster must be verified. The local office must verify the disaster through a collateral contact or a community organization, such as the fire department, the Red Cross, or a home visit. This policy applies in cases of an individual household disaster, such as fire, as well as natural disasters affecting more than one household. In cases where the Food and Nutrition Service has issued a disaster declaration and the household is otherwise eligible for disaster SNAP benefits, the household must not receive both the disaster allotment and replacement benefits for the same month under this provision. There is no limit on the number of replacements for food purchased with SNAP benefits which were destroyed in a household misfortune. 

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS 

What are Social Security benefits? 

Social Security benefits provide a source of income for eligible workers and their families when the worker retires, becomes disabled, or dies. 

What type of benefits are available, and what are the eligibility requirements? 

Social Security Retirement Insurance Benefits: To qualify for this benefit program, you must meet all the following requirements:  

  • Have earned enough Social Security credits; and  
  • Are at least age 62 throughout the first month of entitlement.  

Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits (SSDI): This benefit is paid to people who meet the following requirements: 

  • Have earned enough Social Security credits; and 
  • Are unable to work because of a disability that has lasted or will last for at least 12 months or end in death. 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI): To qualify for this benefit program, you must meet the following requirements: 

  • Be at least age 65, or 
  • Be blind or disabled, and 
  • Have limited income and assets; and 
  • Meet additional requirements. 

Social Security Medicare Program: Medicare is a health insurance program for people who meet the following requirements: 

  • Are age 65 or older. 
  • Received Social Security Disability benefits for at least 24 months. 
  • People with kidney failure or ALS may also qualify for Medicare. 

How are payments delivered to me? 

The Treasury Department requires federal benefit payments to be made electronically. You can choose to get your payments by direct deposit to a bank or credit union account, or to a  

Direct Express® Debit MasterCard® card account. 

How do I begin the application process? 

To apply online, visit https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/#anchor4 

If you would like to find out if you may be eligible for any of the benefits SSA administers,  

visit best.ssa.gov. Once you have completed the eligibility screening questionnaire, you will be provided with a list of benefits for which you may be eligible. Print this page for your records before going to the application site. Once you know which benefits you can apply for, you can apply online at: https://best.ssa.gov. You can also call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778) for additional information about SSA benefits and for application information. 

Once Social Security has all the necessary documentation, such as proof of earnings or medical evidence of disability, they will send you a written decision. If you are denied and you think you are eligible, you should file a request for reconsideration within sixty days of the date of the initial decision. If you are denied again, you should request a hearing and contact Legal Services for possible legal representation.

Are there other resources that might be available to help? 

Yes, you can contact 211 for all available resources. 

Resources

 

 

 

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