Apply for DSNAP at Rayne Civic Center

Personnel from the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services will be in Rayne beginning Monday taking applications for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (DSNAP).
DSNAP, formerly called Disaster Food Stamps, provides food assistance to eligible households who do not receive regular SNAP benefits and who need help buying groceries due to lost income or damages following a disaster.
Mayor Chuck Robichaux said personnel will set up at the Rayne Civic Center beginning Aug. 29 through Sept. 3 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
A “staggered alphabet schedule” will be strictly enforced as follows:
• Aug. 29: A - D;
• Aug. 30: E - K;
• Aug. 31: L - R;
• Sept. 1: S - Z;
• Sept. 2: A - K applicants unable to make prior scheduled days;
• Sept. 3: L - Z applicants unable to make prior schedule days.
Applicants may name an authorized representative to go to a DSNAP site on their behalf. Authorized representatives must bring with them a picture ID and the picture ID of the applicant/head of household, along with a signed statement from the applicant/head of household or an adult household member authorizing them as a representative.
Regular SNAP households do not need to apply for DSNAP. Impacted households that receive regular SNAP benefits in the DSNAP parishes will have additional SNAP benefits added to their EBT cards if they are not already receiving the maximum alllotment for their household size.
To help expedite the application process DCFS is encouraging residents in all affected areas to pre-register for DSNAP benefits. The pre-registration is not an application for DSNAP.
Residents will need to go to the parish DSNAP site in which they reside to complete an application and determine their DSNAP eligibility.
The best way to pre-register is online at www.dcfs.la.gov/preregister. However, residents can also pre-register by phone at 1-888-LAHELP-U (1-888-524-3578). Beginning Monday, Aug. 22, the call center has extended its hours on Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Hours for Saturday and Sunday remain at 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Callers will select the appropriate language and then select options 3 and 3. All pre-registrants will have to provide the following information:
• Name, Social Security Number and date of birth for each household member;
• Current address and parish of household;
• Monthly income for each household member; and
• All liquid assets for each household member (cash on hand, checking, savings)
The information will be kept securely on file and will be confidential.
The pre-registration process does not guarantee benefits, but is designed to save time, minimize long waits and prevent applicants from coming to the site, only to find out that they do not have the right information needed to apply.
As with all programs, DCFS works to ensure this program and others are available for eligible applicants by aggressively protecting against fraud in benefits programs year round.

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