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DCFS Approves 17,533 Households at DSNAP Sites Friday

Friday's total highest in the three days since program launch

September 08, 2012

09.08.12 - More than 17,500 households were approved for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) benefits on Friday, totaling more than $7.1 million. Friday's one-day total was an increase from Thursday's one-day total by more than 3,000 households and $1.1 million in DSNAP benefits.

Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Suzy Sonnier said that in three days, more than 44,638 households have been approved, totaling $18,551,952 in DSNAP benefits.

DSNAP totals by parish for the three days are:

Parish	DSNAP Cards	DSNAP Total
Ascension	2,187	$1,003,836
Jefferson	14,142	$6,212,446
Lafourche	2,913	$1,276,712
Livingston	2,229	$1,066,319
Orleans	13,650	$4,703,919
Plaquemines	983	$442,932
St. Bernard	1,837	$782,568
St. John	2,594	$1,139,059
St. Tammany	4,103	$1,924,161

DSNAP is an income eligibility based program to assist eligible households who do not receive regular SNAP benefits and who need help buying groceries due to lost income or damages following a disaster. Eligibility are determined by federal guidelines and are based on an individual's known or expected income, resources (such as cash on hand, saving and checking account balances) and unreimbursed disaster expenses during the disaster period of August 26 and September 24. For more information on income guidelines visit www.dcfs.la.gov or call 211.

Applicants knowingly providing inaccurate or incomplete information, as part of a DSNAP application, could face criminal prosecution and disqualification of benefits. DCFS will investigate suspected fraud and aggressively pursue recoupment and possibly prosecution.

DSNAP is administered in Louisiana by DCFS and overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Read more about recipients' rights.

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