**Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program**

Waiver-related Publications

Table of Contents

  -------------------------------------------------------------- --------
  Topic                                                          Page

  [Waivers Included in Disaster Supplemental Nutrition           2
  Assistance Program Approvals](#OLE_LINK1)                      

  [Waivers Available to Add to a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition 4
  Assistance Program](#OLE_LINK2)                                

  [Waivers Available for Modified Supplemental Nutrition         7
  Assistance Programs](#OLE_LINK3)                               

  [Waivers for Transition to the Regular Supplemental Nutrition  10
  Assistance Program](#OLE_LINK4)                                

  [Waivers for Stores/EBT](#OLE_LINK5)                           13

  [Store/EBT Options That Do Not Require a Waiver](#ole_link6)   16
  -------------------------------------------------------------- --------

[]{#OLE_LINK1 .anchor}[Waivers Included in Disaster Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program Approvals]{.mark}

[]{.mark}

[State agencies that request to operate a Disaster Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) *automatically* receive approval
to waive *all* of the policies included in the table below. Therefore,
the State agency does not need to and should not enumerate these policy
waivers in their request to operate a D-SNAP.]{.mark}

[]{.mark}

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  **[Policy               **[Food and Nutrition      **[Policy]{.mark}**      **[Description]{.mark}**
  Area]{.mark}**          Act/Regulation]{.mark}**                            
  ----------------------- -------------------------- ------------------------ --------------------------
  [D-SNAP                 [Section 5(e) of the Food  [Special eligibility     [Simplifies (and thus
  calculation]{.mark}     and Nutrition Act]{.mark}  calculation with no need speeds up) the
                                                     to calculate             determination of
                                                     deductions]{.mark}       eligibility for
                                                                              D-SNAP.]{.mark}

  [Maximum                [Sections 5(e) and 8(c) of [All eligible            [Simplifies and thus
  allotments]{.mark}      the Food and Nutrition     households, based on     speeds up the calculation
                          Act]{.mark}                each household's         of each household's
                                                     size]{.mark}             allotment amount. Once the
                                                                              state determines that a
                                                                              household is eligible, the
                                                                              allotment depends only on
                                                                              the household's
                                                                              size.]{.mark}

  [Strikers]{.mark}       [7 CFR 273.1 (e)]{.mark}   [Striker restrictions    [Allows strikers to be
                                                     will not apply.]{.mark}  otherwise eligible for
                                                                              D-SNAP.]{.mark}

  [Household              [7 CFR 273.1 (a)]{.mark}   [Use pre-disaster        [Allows clients to
  Composition]{.mark}                                household composition    participate as separate
                                                     for those displaced by   households from their
                                                     the disaster.]{.mark}    temporary hosts.]{.mark}

  [Verification]{.mark}   [7 CFR 273.2 (f)]{.mark}   [Verify only identity    [Reduces the workload for
                                                     and residency.]{.mark}   the State and allows
                                                                              households whose
                                                                              verification is
                                                                              inaccessible or destroyed
                                                                              to be eligible for
                                                                              disaster benefits.]{.mark}

  [Non-citizens]{.mark}   [7 CFR 273.4 (a)]{.mark}   [Non-citizen             [Allows all non-citizens,
                                                     restrictions will not    regardless of immigration
                                                     apply.]{.mark}           status, to be otherwise
                                                                              eligible.]{.mark}

  [Students]{.mark}       [7 CFR 273.5]{.mark}       [Student restrictions    [Allows students to be
                                                     will not apply.]{.mark}  otherwise eligible for
                                                                              disaster benefits.]{.mark}

  [Social Security        [7 CFR 273.6 (a)]{.mark}   [Households do not have  [Allows those who have
  Numbers (SSN)]{.mark}                              to provide SSNs for      forgotten their SSNs, lost
                                                     eligibility.]{.mark}     their cards in the
                                                                              disaster, or who do not
                                                                              have a SSN to be otherwise
                                                                              eligible.]{.mark}

  [Work Policy]{.mark}    [7 CFR 273.7 (a)]{.mark}   [Waive voluntary quit    [Allows those who have not
                                                     requirements.]{.mark}    or cannot participate in
                                                                              work due to the disaster
                                                                              to be otherwise eligible
                                                                              for disaster benefits.
                                                                              Also allows the State
                                                                              agency to focus their
                                                                              human resources on
                                                                              eligibility determination
                                                                              and issuance.]{.mark}

  [Work Policy]{.mark}    [7 CFR 273.7 (a)]{.mark}   [Waive work registration [Allows those who have not
                                                     requirements.]{.mark}    or cannot participate in
                                                                              work due to the disaster
                                                                              to be otherwise eligible
                                                                              for D-SNAP benefits. Also
                                                                              allows the State agency to
                                                                              focus their human
                                                                              resources on eligibility
                                                                              determination and
                                                                              issuance.]{.mark}

  [Work Policy]{.mark}    [7 CFR 273.7 (a)]{.mark}   [Waive employment and    [Allows those who have not
                                                     training                 or cannot participate in
                                                     participation.]{.mark}   work due to the disaster
                                                                              to be otherwise eligible
                                                                              for D-SNAP benefits. Also
                                                                              allows the State agency to
                                                                              focus their human
                                                                              resources on eligibility
                                                                              determination and
                                                                              issuance.]{.mark}

  [Resources]{.mark}      [7 CFR 273.8 (e)]{.mark}   [Exclude as a resource   [Allows clients to be
                                                     any lump sum insurance   otherwise eligible while
                                                     payments for several     retaining their insurance
                                                     months (period is at     payments for property
                                                     State                    repair or replacement due
                                                     discretion).]{.mark}     to the disaster.]{.mark}

  [Resources]{.mark}      [7 CFR 273.8 (e)]{.mark}   [Exclude as a resource   [Allows clients to only
                                                     any vehicles, equipment, have their truly liquid
                                                     boats, motor homes,      resources counted when
                                                     business accounts, IRA's calculating
                                                     and real and personal    eligibility.]{.mark}
                                                     property.]{.mark}        

  [Deductions]{.mark}     [7 CFR 273.9 (d)]{.mark}   [Allow deduction of      [Allows clients to have
                                                     disaster-related         only their take-home pay,
                                                     expenses not expected to public assistance
                                                     be reimbursed in the     payments, other unearned
                                                     disaster benefit period. income, and net
                                                     Also deduct from gross   self-employment income
                                                     income any payroll taxes counted during the
                                                     and all other types of   eligibility determination
                                                     withholding from         process.]{.mark}
                                                     paychecks and business   
                                                     expenses.]{.mark}        

  [Intentional Program    [7 CFR 273.16 (b)]{.mark}  [Allows former           [Allows those with IPVs to
  Violations                                         participants currently   receive emergency
  (IPV)]{.mark}                                      disqualified for an IPV  assistance, but does not
                                                     to participate in the    affect their
                                                     D-SNAP.]{.mark}          disqualification from the
                                                                              regular SNAP.]{.mark}
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[]{#OLE_LINK2 .anchor}[Waivers Available to Add to a]{.mark}

[Disaster Supplemental Nutrition]{.mark}

[Assistance Program]{.mark}

[]{.mark}

[State agencies that request to operate a Disaster Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) may add any of the optional
certification or issuance waivers below to their request. These optional
waivers must be specifically enumerated in the D-SNAP request and
approved by FNS to be employed.]{.mark}

[]{.mark}

+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------------------+
| **Policy   | **Food and   | **Policy**    | **Description**         |
| Area**     | Nutrition    |               |                         |
|            | Act/         |               |                         |
|            | Regulation** |               |                         |
+============+==============+===============+=========================+
| **New      |              |               |                         |
| Ho         |              |               |                         |
| useholds** |              |               |                         |
+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------------------+
| Food loss  | Not          | Loss of food  | Entitles a household to |
|            | applicable   | is a          | D-SNAP if their *only   |
|            |              | qualifying    | expense* will be        |
|            |              | disaster      | replacing food that the |
|            |              | expense       | disaster destroyed.     |
+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------------------+
| S          | Section 8(c) | Allows the    | Keeps ongoing           |
| upplements | of the Food  | State agency  | households from having  |
|            | and          | bring the     | to appear at            |
|            | Nutrition    | allotments of | application/issuance    |
|            | Act          | all ongoing   | sites to apply for      |
|            |              | households up | D-SNAP. Helps create    |
|            |              | to the        | equity between new and  |
|            |              | maximum per   | ongoing households      |
|            |              | household     | affected by the         |
|            |              | size. States  | disaster.               |
|            |              | may offer     |                         |
|            |              | individual or |                         |
|            |              | mass          |                         |
|            |              | supplements   |                         |
|            |              | and must      |                         |
|            |              | specify their |                         |
|            |              | choice in     |                         |
|            |              | their         |                         |
|            |              | request.      |                         |
+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------------------+
| Hot Foods  | Sections     |               | This waives the mandate |
|            | 3(g)(1),     |               | in the Food and         |
|            | 5(h)(1) and  |               | Nutrition Act of 1977   |
|            | (h)(3)(A) of |               | that hot food purchases |
|            | the Food and |               | with SNAP benefits are  |
|            | Nutrition    |               | ineligible. Retail food |
|            | Act, as      |               | stores licensed by FNS  |
|            | amended.     |               | to accept SNAP benefits |
|            |              |               | in designated disaster  |
|            | 7 CFR 271.2  |               | areas can accept SNAP   |
|            |              |               | benefits from SNAP      |
|            |              |               | customers in exchange   |
|            |              |               | for hot foods. No sales |
|            |              |               | tax can be charged      |
|            |              |               | during the effective    |
|            |              |               | period. This waiver can |
|            |              |               | be requested on a       |
|            |              |               | statewide or county by  |
|            |              |               | county basis.           |
+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------------------+
| K          |              | April 3, 2001 | This relaxes the        |
| ey-Entered |              | (Index No.    | requirement that an     |
| Tr         |              | BRD/EBT       | Electronic Benefits     |
| ansactions |              | 2001-1)       | Transfer (EBT) card be  |
|            |              |               | present during a        |
|            |              |               | key-entered, SNAP       |
|            |              |               | transaction. Displaced  |
|            |              |               | residents of disaster   |
|            |              |               | areas can shop without  |
|            |              |               | their EBT cards, but    |
|            |              |               | they will need to know  |
|            |              |               | their card and PIN      |
|            |              |               | number. Residents may   |
|            |              |               | call either their State |
|            |              |               | office or the EBT       |
|            |              |               | contractor if they have |
|            |              |               | lost their card and do  |
|            |              |               | not remember their card |
|            |              |               | number.                 |
+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------------------+
| Early      | 7 CFR        |               | This waiver allows a    |
| Issuance   | 274.2(d)     |               | State agency to issue   |
|            |              |               | monthly benefits,       |
|            |              |               | early, on a county or   |
|            |              |               | Statewide basis (i.e.,  |
|            |              |               | issuance of two months  |
|            |              |               | worth of benefits in    |
|            |              |               | one month). States'     |
|            |              |               | Account Management      |
|            |              |               | Agent system entries    |
|            |              |               | should be based on the  |
|            |              |               | dates benefits are      |
|            |              |               | posted and are made     |
|            |              |               | available. The FNS 46   |
|            |              |               | and FNS 388 reports,    |
|            |              |               | however, should reflect |
|            |              |               | the month the benefits  |
|            |              |               | are intended rather     |
|            |              |               | than when they are made |
|            |              |               | available.              |
+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------------------+
| E          | 7 CFR 274.12 |               | EBT regulations at 7    |
| xpungement | (f)(7)(ii)   |               | CFR 274.12 (f)(7)(ii)   |
| of         |              |               | require that the State  |
| Disaster   |              |               | agency expunge benefits |
| Benefits   |              |               | that have not been      |
|            |              |               | accessed by a household |
|            |              |               | after a period of one   |
|            |              |               | year. This waiver       |
|            |              |               | allows disaster         |
|            |              |               | benefits to be expunged |
|            |              |               | from a household's      |
|            |              |               | account after a period  |
|            |              |               | of less than one year,  |
|            |              |               | usually after each      |
|            |              |               | benefit has reached the |
|            |              |               | age of 90 days,         |
|            |              |               | regardless of whether   |
|            |              |               | that benefit has been   |
|            |              |               | accessed by the         |
|            |              |               | household within 90     |
|            |              |               | days of issuance or     |
|            |              |               | not.                    |
+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------------------+
| Stand-in   | 7 CFR 274.12 |               | EBT regulations at 7    |
| Process    | (g)(1)(i)    |               | CFR 274.12 (g)(1)(i)    |
|            |              |               | hold retailers liable   |
|            | 7 CFR        |               | for EBT purchases not   |
|            | 3016.20      |               | authorized at the time  |
|            |              |               | of purchase. This       |
|            |              |               | waiver allows FNS to    |
|            |              |               | accept this liability,  |
|            |              |               | up to a certain floor   |
|            |              |               | limit, per transaction  |
|            |              |               | per retailer per day    |
|            |              |               | per client. If the      |
|            |              |               | client has insufficient |
|            |              |               | funds in their account  |
|            |              |               | to cover their          |
|            |              |               | transaction, FNS will   |
|            |              |               | reimburse the store up  |
|            |              |               | to the designated       |
|            |              |               | dollar amount once the  |
|            |              |               | store obtains           |
|            |              |               | authorization. *\*Note: |
|            |              |               | This is a rare waiver   |
|            |              |               | and will only be        |
|            |              |               | approved in cases of    |
|            |              |               | extreme devastation     |
|            |              |               | when power and          |
|            |              |               | telephones are out and  |
|            |              |               | they will be            |
|            |              |               | non-operational for a   |
|            |              |               | significant amount of   |
|            |              |               | time. Also, this waiver |
|            |              |               | does not replace the    |
|            |              |               | language typically in   |
|            |              |               | place in standard EBT   |
|            |              |               | Contracts in which a    |
|            |              |               | State's EBT vendor      |
|            |              |               | assumes the liability   |
|            |              |               | for purchases up to a   |
|            |              |               | certain floor limit     |
|            |              |               | when the processor's    |
|            |              |               | host system is down.*   |
+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------------------+
| Timely     | 7 CFR        |               | Section 7 CFR           |
| Household  | 274.6(b)(1)  |               | 274.6(b)(1) of the SNAP |
| Reporting  |              |               | regulations requires    |
| of Food    |              |               | that replacement        |
| Loss       |              |               | issuances shall be      |
|            |              |               | provided only if a      |
|            |              |               | household reports a     |
|            |              |               | loss of food purchased  |
|            |              |               | with SNAP benefits      |
|            |              |               | orally or in writing to |
|            |              |               | the State within 10     |
|            |              |               | days of the date the    |
|            |              |               | food is destroyed in a  |
|            |              |               | household misfortune.   |
|            |              |               | This waiver allows the  |
|            |              |               | State agency to extend  |
|            |              |               | the amount of time      |
|            |              |               | households have to      |
|            |              |               | report the loss of food |
|            |              |               | purchased with SNAP     |
|            |              |               | benefits, beyond the 10 |
|            |              |               | days. Household         |
|            |              |               | misfortunes such as     |
|            |              |               | mass power outages and  |
|            |              |               | floods would qualify    |
|            |              |               | under this waiver.      |
+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------------------+
| Automatic  | 7 CFR        |               | This waiver allows a    |
| R          | 274.6(b)(1)  |               | State agency to replace |
| eplacement |              |               | a portion/percentage of |
| of SNAP    |              |               | currently certified     |
| Benefits   |              |               | households' monthly     |
|            |              |               | SNAP allotments in a    |
|            |              |               | disaster without the    |
|            |              |               | requirement that a      |
|            |              |               | household request a     |
|            |              |               | replacement,            |
|            |              |               | individually, and       |
|            |              |               | travel to a local       |
|            |              |               | office to sign an       |
|            |              |               | affidavit of loss.      |
|            |              |               | Under this waiver,      |
|            |              |               | households will not     |
|            |              |               | have the added burden   |
|            |              |               | of signing paperwork    |
|            |              |               | and local offices will  |
|            |              |               | not have to process     |
|            |              |               | cases manually for each |
|            |              |               | household needing a     |
|            |              |               | benefit replacement.    |
|            |              |               | *\*Note: The            |
|            |              |               | replacement percentage  |
|            |              |               | is not fixed and        |
|            |              |               | generally depends on    |
|            |              |               | the time of the month   |
|            |              |               | in which the disaster   |
|            |              |               | took place.*            |
+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------------------+

[]{#OLE_LINK3 .anchor}Waivers Available for

Modified Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Programs

State agencies wishing to operate a Modified SNAP can request a waiver
to any policy if they predict that the waiver would improve delivery of
benefits to the eligible public. The list below contains waivers granted
in recent history.

States should not request a modified SNAP with so many waivers that it
approximates a D-SNAP. If a State wishes to employ the full or
nearly-full range of disaster-related waivers, they should simply
request a D-SNAP. States should consult with their FNS Regional Office
if they are uncertain whether or not a D-SNAP or Modified SNAP best
suits the situation at hand.

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  **Policy Area**         **Food and         **Policy**               **Description**
                          Nutrition                                   
                          Act/Regulation**                            
  ----------------------- ------------------ ------------------------ --------------------------
  D-SNAP calculation      Section 5(e) of    Special eligibility      Simplifies (and thus
                          the Food and       calculation with no need speeds up) the
                          Nutrition Act      to calculate deductions  determination of
                                                                      eligibility for D-SNAP.

  Maximum allotments      Sections 5(e) and  All eligible households, Simplifies (and thus
                          8(c) of the Food   based on each            speeds up) the calculation
                          and Nutrition Act  household's size         of each household's
                                                                      allotment amount. Once the
                                                                      state determines that a
                                                                      household is eligible, the
                                                                      allotment depends only on
                                                                      the household's size.

  Food loss               Not applicable     Loss of food is a        Entitles a household to
                                             qualifying disaster      D-SNAP if their *only
                                             expense                  expense* will be replacing
                                                                      food that the disaster
                                                                      destroyed.

  [Strikers]{.mark}       [7 CFR 273.1       [Striker restrictions    [Allows strikers to be
                          (e)]{.mark}        will not apply.]{.mark}  otherwise eligible for
                                                                      disaster benefits.]{.mark}

  [Household              [7 CFR 273.1       [Use pre-disaster        [Allows clients to
  Composition]{.mark}     (a)]{.mark}        household composition    participate as separate
                                             for those displaced by   households from their
                                             the disaster.]{.mark}    temporary hosts.]{.mark}

  [Verification]{.mark}   [7 CFR 273.2       [Verify only identity    [Reduces the workload for
                          (f)]{.mark}        and residency.]{.mark}   the State and allows
                                                                      households whose
                                                                      verification is
                                                                      inaccessible or destroyed
                                                                      to be eligible for
                                                                      disaster benefits.]{.mark}

  [Non-citizens]{.mark}   [7 CFR 273.4       [Non-citizen             [Allows all non-citizens,
                          (a)]{.mark}        restrictions will not    regardless of immigration
                                             apply.]{.mark}           status, to be otherwise
                                                                      eligible.]{.mark}

  [Students]{.mark}       [7 CFR             [Student restrictions    [Allows students to be
                          273.5]{.mark}      will not apply.]{.mark}  otherwise eligible for
                                                                      D-SNAP benefits.]{.mark}

  [Social Security        [7 CFR 273.6       [Households do not have  [Allows those who have
  Numbers (SSN)]{.mark}   (a)]{.mark}        to provide SSNs for      forgotten their SSNs, lost
                                             eligibility.]{.mark}     their cards in the
                                                                      disaster, or who do not
                                                                      have a SSN to be otherwise
                                                                      eligible.]{.mark}

  [Work Policy]{.mark}    [7 CFR 273.7       [Waive work registration [Allows those who have not
                          (a)]{.mark}        requirements.]{.mark}    or cannot participate in
                                                                      work due to the disaster
                                                                      to be otherwise eligible
                                                                      for D-SNAP benefits. Also
                                                                      allows the State agency to
                                                                      focus their human
                                                                      resources on eligibility
                                                                      determination and
                                                                      issuance.]{.mark}

  [Work Policy]{.mark}    [7 CFR 273.7       [Waive employment and    [Allows those who have not
                          (a)]{.mark}        training                 or cannot participate in
                                             participation.]{.mark}   work due to the disaster
                                                                      to be otherwise eligible
                                                                      for D-SNAP benefits. Also
                                                                      allows the State agency to
                                                                      focus their human
                                                                      resources on eligibility
                                                                      determination and
                                                                      issuance.]{.mark}

  [Resources]{.mark}      [7 CFR 273.8       [Exclude as a resource   [Allows clients to be
                          (e)]{.mark}        any lump sum insurance   otherwise eligible while
                                             payments for several     retaining their insurance
                                             months (period is at     payments for property
                                             State                    repair or replacement due
                                             discretion).]{.mark}     to the disaster.]{.mark}

  [Resources]{.mark}      [7 CFR 273.8       [Exclude as a resource   [Allows clients to only
                          (e)]{.mark}        any vehicles, equipment, have their truly liquid
                                             boats, motor homes,      resources counted when
                                             business accounts, IRA's calculating
                                             and real and personal    eligibility.]{.mark}
                                             property.]{.mark}        

  [Deductions]{.mark}     [7 CFR 273.9       [Allow deduction of      [Allows clients to have
                          (d)]{.mark}        disaster-related         only their take-home pay,
                                             expenses not expected to public assistance
                                             be reimbursed in the     payments, other unearned
                                             disaster benefit period. income, and net
                                             Also deduct from gross   self-employment income
                                             income any payroll taxes counted during the
                                             and all other types of   eligibility determination
                                             withholding from         process.]{.mark}
                                             paychecks and business   
                                             expenses.]{.mark}        

  [Intentional Program    [7 CFR 273.16      [Allows former           [Allows those with IPVs to
  Violations              (b)]{.mark}        participants currently   receive emergency
  (IPV)]{.mark}                              disqualified for an IPV  assistance, but does not
                                             to participate in        affect their
                                             D-SNAP.]{.mark}          disqualification from the
                                                                      regular SNAP.]{.mark}

  Supplements             Section 8(c) of    For previously certified Done automatically, this
                          the Food and       households,              waiver keeps previously
                          Nutrition Act      automatically bringing   certified households from
                                             their allotments to the  having to apply for D-SNAP
                                             maximum per household    in order to receive
                                             size                     treatment equal to that
                                                                      afforded to previously
                                                                      uncertified households.

  Automatic replacement   7 CFR 274.6(b)     The State implements     Avoids the need to process
                                             mass replacement of part previously certified
                                             of households'           households' individual
                                             previously issued        requests to replace lost
                                             allotments, to           food. The replacement
                                             compensate them for      amount never exceeds a
                                             destroyed food that they household's previously
                                             bought with SNAP         issued allotment. Also,
                                             benefits.                the exact percentage of
                                                                      the replacement depends
                                                                      upon the time of the month
                                                                      in which the disaster hit
                                                                      -- the earlier in the
                                                                      month, the greater the
                                                                      percentage that the state
                                                                      will replace.

  Replacement Period      7 CFR 274.6 (b)    Extend period for        Allows client required to
                                             households to request    individually-request
                                             replacement benefits.    replacements extra time to
                                                                      do so, if the State has
                                                                      determined that
                                                                      circumstances of the
                                                                      disaster make it difficult
                                                                      for clients to request
                                                                      losses.

  Hot Foods               7 CFR 271.2        Allow recipients to      Allows clients who may not
                          *Eligible Foods*   purchase hot foods and   have access to functional
                                             hot food products        cooking facilities to have
                                             prepared for immediate   hot meals.
                                             consumption.             
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[]{#OLE_LINK4 .anchor}Certification Waivers for Transition to the

Regular Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Program

The Food and Nutrition Service does not maintain a complete list of
waivers available to States as they transition from a disaster to a
regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). State agencies
can request a waiver to any policy if they project that the waiver would
improve delivery of disaster benefits to the eligible public. The list
below contains waivers granted in recent history.

+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| Policy Area    | Regulation  | Policy              | Description    |
+================+=============+=====================+================+
| Household      | 7 CFR 273.1 | Base household      | **Allows       |
| Composition    | (b)(1)      | composition on      | clients to     |
|                |             | household members   | participate as |
|                |             | who purchased and   | separate       |
|                |             | prepared meals      | households     |
|                |             | together prior to   | from their     |
|                |             | the disaster.       | temporary      |
|                |             |                     | hosts.**       |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| Household      | 7 CFR 273.1 | Allow eligibility   | **Allows       |
| Composition    | (e)         | for strikers if     | strikers to be |
|                |             | they were affected  | otherwise      |
|                |             | by the disaster and | eligible for   |
|                |             | meet all other      | SNAP           |
|                |             | standards of        | benefits.**    |
|                |             | eligibility.        |                |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| Interviews     | 7 CFR 273.2 | Conduct only        | **Helps        |
|                | (e)         | telephone           | clients        |
|                |             | interviews for      | complete       |
|                |             | households who mail | interviews     |
|                |             | in applications.    | when personal  |
|                |             |                     | or public      |
|                |             |                     | transportation |
|                |             |                     | is             |
|                |             |                     | inaccessible   |
|                |             |                     | or road        |
|                |             |                     | conditions are |
|                |             |                     | not            |
|                |             |                     | favorable.**   |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| Residency      | 7 CFR 273.3 | State agency may    | **Allows       |
|                | (a)         | certify households  | clients who    |
|                |             | whose permanent     | have           |
|                |             | residence is in one | temporarily    |
|                |             | of the              | relocated out  |
|                |             | Pres                | of the         |
|                |             | identially-declared | disaster area  |
|                |             | disaster counties,  | to access      |
|                |             | though not          | benefits.**    |
|                |             | necessarily in the  |                |
|                |             | county of           |                |
|                |             | application.        |                |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| Work           | 7 CFR 273.7 | Waive work          | **Allows those |
| Provisions     | (a) (1)     | registration,       | who have not   |
|                |             | Employment and      | or cannot      |
|                |             | Training, or        | participate in |
|                |             | workfare            | work due to    |
|                |             | requirements for    | the disaster   |
|                |             | the length of the   | to be          |
|                |             | certification       | otherwise      |
|                |             | period.             | eligible for   |
|                |             |                     | disaster       |
|                |             |                     | benefits. Also |
|                |             |                     | allows the     |
|                |             |                     | State agency   |
|                |             |                     | to focus their |
|                |             |                     | human          |
|                |             |                     | resources on   |
|                |             |                     | eligibility    |
|                |             |                     | determination  |
|                |             |                     | and            |
|                |             |                     | issuance.**    |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| Resources      | 7 CFR 273.8 | Consider all        | **Allows       |
|                |             | resources, except   | clients to     |
|                |             | vehicles,           | only have      |
|                |             | equipment, boats,   | their truly    |
|                |             | motor homes,        | liquid         |
|                |             | business accounts,  | resources      |
|                |             | Individual          | counted when   |
|                |             | Retirement          | calculating    |
|                |             | Accounts, and real  | eligibility.** |
|                |             | and personal        |                |
|                |             | property in         |                |
|                |             | determining         |                |
|                |             | financial           |                |
|                |             | eligibility.        |                |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| Income and     | 7 CFR 273.9 | In addition to      | **Expands      |
| Deductions     |             | regularly allowed   | eligibility to |
|                |             | deductions, allow a | those who      |
|                |             | deduction for       | would not      |
|                |             | disaster-related    | normally be    |
|                |             | expenses that will  | eligible for   |
|                |             | be paid or expected | benefits, but  |
|                |             | to be paid during   | who have       |
|                |             | the authorization   | sustained      |
|                |             | period.             | significant    |
|                |             |                     | disaster       |
|                |             |                     | losses.**      |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| Certification  | 7 CFR       | Extend              | **Reduces the  |
| periods        | 273.10 (f)  | certification       | state agency's |
|                | (5)         | periods beyond 24   | workload       |
|                |             | months for          | regarding the  |
|                |             | elderly/disabled    | ongoing        |
|                |             | households and 12   | caseload. This |
|                |             | months for other    | extension      |
|                |             | households.         | usually lasts  |
|                |             |                     | until the      |
|                |             |                     | state's        |
|                |             |                     | administration |
|                |             |                     | is back to     |
|                |             |                     | normal.**      |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| Claims Against | 7 CFR       | Provide benefits to | **Allows the   |
| Households     | 273.18      | households without  | State to       |
|                |             | recouping any       | direct their   |
|                |             | already outstanding | human          |
|                |             | claims.             | resources      |
|                |             |                     | towards        |
|                |             |                     | eligibility    |
|                |             |                     | determination  |
|                |             |                     | and            |
|                |             |                     | issuance.**    |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| > Processing   | 7 CFR       | Give States more    | **Reduces the  |
| > Changes      | 273.12 (c)  | time to process     | state agency's |
|                |             | changes             | workload       |
|                |             |                     | regarding the  |
|                |             |                     | ongoing        |
|                |             |                     | caseload. This |
|                |             |                     | extension      |
|                |             |                     | usually lasts  |
|                |             |                     | until the      |
|                |             |                     | state's        |
|                |             |                     | administration |
|                |             |                     | is back to     |
|                |             |                     | normal.**      |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| > Reporting    | 7 CFR       | > Eliminate         | **Reduces the  |
| > Changes      | 273.12 (a)  | > household         | state agency's |
|                |             | > responsibility to | workload       |
|                |             | > report changes    | regarding the  |
|                |             |                     | ongoing        |
|                |             |                     | caseload. This |
|                |             |                     | extension      |
|                |             |                     | usually lasts  |
|                |             |                     | until the      |
|                |             |                     | state's        |
|                |             |                     | administration |
|                |             |                     | is back to     |
|                |             |                     | normal.**      |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| > Reporting    | 7 CFR       | Give households     | **Reduces the  |
| > Changes      | 273.12 (a)  | more time to report | state agency's |
|                |             | changes             | workload       |
|                |             |                     | regarding the  |
|                |             |                     | ongoing        |
|                |             |                     | caseload. This |
|                |             |                     | extension      |
|                |             |                     | usually lasts  |
|                |             |                     | until the      |
|                |             |                     | state's        |
|                |             |                     | administration |
|                |             |                     | is back to     |
|                |             |                     | normal.**      |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| > Reporting    | 7 CFR       | Eliminate or delay  | **Reduces the  |
| > Changes      | 273.12 (a)  | periodic reports    | state agency's |
|                |             | (monthly or         | workload       |
|                |             | quarterly)          | regarding the  |
|                |             |                     | ongoing        |
|                |             |                     | caseload. This |
|                |             |                     | extension      |
|                |             |                     | usually lasts  |
|                |             |                     | until the      |
|                |             |                     | state's        |
|                |             |                     | administration |
|                |             |                     | is back to     |
|                |             |                     | normal.**      |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+
| > **Reporting  | **7 CFR     | **Eliminate or      | **Reduces the  |
| > Changes**    | 273.12      | delay interim       | state agency's |
|                | (a)**       | reports in          | workload       |
|                |             | Simplified          | regarding the  |
|                |             | Reporting**         | ongoing        |
|                |             |                     | caseload. This |
|                |             |                     | extension      |
|                |             |                     | usually lasts  |
|                |             |                     | until the      |
|                |             |                     | state's        |
|                |             |                     | administration |
|                |             |                     | is back to     |
|                |             |                     | normal.**      |
+----------------+-------------+---------------------+----------------+

[]{#OLE_LINK5 .anchor}Waivers for Stores/EBT

The following waivers can be employed with a Presidential disaster
declaration as part of a D-SNAP, Modified SNAP, or without the operation
of a special program.

+-------------+------------+-------------+---------------------------+
| **Food and  | **Food and | **Policy**  | **Description**           |
| Nutrition   | Nutrition  |             |                           |
| Act         | Act/Re     |             |                           |
| /Regulation | gulation** |             |                           |
| or Policy   |            |             |                           |
| Area**      |            |             |                           |
+=============+============+=============+===========================+
| Hot Foods   | Sections   |             | This waives the mandate   |
|             | 3(g)(1),   |             | in the Food and Nutrition |
|             | 5(h)(1)    |             | Act of 1977 that hot food |
|             | and        |             | purchases with SNAP       |
|             | (h)(3)(A)  |             | benefits are ineligible.  |
|             | of the     |             | Retail food stores        |
|             | Food and   |             | licensed by FNS to accept |
|             | Nutrition  |             | SNAP benefits in          |
|             | Act, as    |             | designated disaster areas |
|             | amended.   |             | can accept SNAP benefits  |
|             |            |             | from any State in         |
|             | 7 CFR      |             | exchange for hot foods.   |
|             | 271.2      |             | No sales tax can be       |
|             |            |             | charged during the        |
|             |            |             | effective period. This    |
|             |            |             | waiver can be requested   |
|             |            |             | on a statewide or county  |
|             |            |             | by county basis.          |
+-------------+------------+-------------+---------------------------+
| Card Not    |            | April 3,    | This relaxes the          |
| Present     |            | 2001 (Index | requirement that an       |
| During      |            | No. BRD/EBT | Electronic Benefits       |
| Key-Entered |            | 2001-1)     | Transfer (EBT) card be    |
| T           |            |             | present during a          |
| ransactions |            |             | key-entered, SNAP         |
|             |            |             | transaction. Displaced    |
|             |            |             | residents of disaster     |
|             |            |             | areas can shop without    |
|             |            |             | their EBT cards, but they |
|             |            |             | will need to know their   |
|             |            |             | card and PIN number.      |
|             |            |             | Residents may call either |
|             |            |             | their State office or the |
|             |            |             | EBT contractor if they    |
|             |            |             | have lost their card and  |
|             |            |             | do not remember their     |
|             |            |             | card number.              |
+-------------+------------+-------------+---------------------------+
| Early       | 7 CFR      |             | This waiver allows a      |
| Issuance    | 274.2(d)   |             | State agency to issue     |
|             |            |             | monthly benefits, early,  |
|             |            |             | on a county or Statewide  |
|             |            |             | basis (i.e., issuance of  |
|             |            |             | two months worth of       |
|             |            |             | benefits in one month).   |
|             |            |             | States' Account           |
|             |            |             | Management Agent system   |
|             |            |             | entries should be based   |
|             |            |             | on the dates benefits are |
|             |            |             | posted and are made       |
|             |            |             | available. The FNS 46 and |
|             |            |             | FNS 388 reports, however, |
|             |            |             | should reflect the month  |
|             |            |             | the benefits are intended |
|             |            |             | rather than when they are |
|             |            |             | made available.           |
+-------------+------------+-------------+---------------------------+
| Expungement | 7 CFR      |             | EBT regulations at 7 CFR  |
| of Disaster | 274.12     |             | 274.12 (f)(7)(ii) require |
| Benefits    | (f)(7)(ii) |             | that the State agency     |
|             |            |             | expunge benefits that     |
|             |            |             | have not been accessed by |
|             |            |             | a household after a       |
|             |            |             | period of one year. This  |
|             |            |             | waiver allows disaster    |
|             |            |             | benefits to be expunged   |
|             |            |             | from a household's        |
|             |            |             | account after a period of |
|             |            |             | less than one year,       |
|             |            |             | usually after each        |
|             |            |             | benefit has reached the   |
|             |            |             | age of 90 days,           |
|             |            |             | regardless of whether     |
|             |            |             | that benefit has been     |
|             |            |             | accessed by the household |
|             |            |             | within 90 days of         |
|             |            |             | issuance or not. *\*Note: |
|             |            |             | Some States may already   |
|             |            |             | have this waiver approved |
|             |            |             | as part if their D-SNAP   |
|             |            |             | Plan, because it may      |
|             |            |             | require advanced          |
|             |            |             | programming of their EBT  |
|             |            |             | systems. If this is the   |
|             |            |             | case, the State does not  |
|             |            |             | have to request this      |
|             |            |             | waiver during a disaster  |
|             |            |             | situation, but FNS should |
|             |            |             | be informed that this     |
|             |            |             | procedure will be in      |
|             |            |             | place.*                   |
+-------------+------------+-------------+---------------------------+
| Stand-in    | 7 CFR      |             | EBT regulations at 7 CFR  |
| Process     | 274.12     |             | 274.12 (g)(1)(i) hold     |
|             | (g)(1)(i)  |             | retailers liable for EBT  |
|             |            |             | purchases not authorized  |
|             | 7 CFR      |             | at the time of purchase.  |
|             | 3016.20    |             | This waiver allows FNS to |
|             |            |             | accept this liability, up |
|             |            |             | to a certain floor limit, |
|             |            |             | per transaction per       |
|             |            |             | retailer per day per      |
|             |            |             | client. If the client has |
|             |            |             | insufficient funds in     |
|             |            |             | their account to cover    |
|             |            |             | their transaction, FNS    |
|             |            |             | will reimburse the store  |
|             |            |             | up to the designated      |
|             |            |             | dollar amount once the    |
|             |            |             | store obtains             |
|             |            |             | authorization. *\*Note:   |
|             |            |             | This is a rare waiver and |
|             |            |             | will only be approved in  |
|             |            |             | cases of extreme          |
|             |            |             | devastation when power    |
|             |            |             | and telephones are out    |
|             |            |             | and they will be          |
|             |            |             | non-operational for a     |
|             |            |             | significant amount of     |
|             |            |             | time. Also, this waiver   |
|             |            |             | does not replace the      |
|             |            |             | language typically in     |
|             |            |             | place in standard EBT     |
|             |            |             | Contracts in which a      |
|             |            |             | State's EBT vendor        |
|             |            |             | assumes the liability for |
|             |            |             | purchases up to a certain |
|             |            |             | floor limit when the      |
|             |            |             | processor's host system   |
|             |            |             | is down.*                 |
+-------------+------------+-------------+---------------------------+
| Timely      | 7 CFR      |             | Section 7 CFR 274.6(b)(1) |
| Household   | 2          |             | of the Supplemental       |
| Reporting   | 74.6(b)(1) |             | Nutrition Assistance      |
| of Food     |            |             | Program regulations       |
| Loss        |            |             | requires that replacement |
|             |            |             | issuances shall be        |
|             |            |             | provided to current SNAP  |
|             |            |             | recipients only if a      |
|             |            |             | household reports a loss  |
|             |            |             | of food purchases with    |
|             |            |             | SNAP benefits orally or   |
|             |            |             | in writing to the State   |
|             |            |             | within 10 days of the     |
|             |            |             | date the food is          |
|             |            |             | destroyed in a household  |
|             |            |             | misfortune. This waiver   |
|             |            |             | allows the State agency   |
|             |            |             | to extend the amount of   |
|             |            |             | time households have to   |
|             |            |             | report the loss of food   |
|             |            |             | purchased with SNAP       |
|             |            |             | benefits, beyond the 10   |
|             |            |             | days. Household           |
|             |            |             | misfortunes such as mass  |
|             |            |             | power outages and floods  |
|             |            |             | would qualify under this  |
|             |            |             | waiver.                   |
+-------------+------------+-------------+---------------------------+
| Automatic   | 7 CFR      |             | This waiver allows a      |
| Replacement | 2          |             | State agency to replace a |
| of SNAP     | 74.6(b)(1) |             | portion/percentage of     |
| Benefits    |            |             | currently certified       |
|             |            |             | households' monthly SNAP  |
|             |            |             | allotments in a disaster  |
|             |            |             | without the requirement   |
|             |            |             | that a household request  |
|             |            |             | a replacement,            |
|             |            |             | individually, and travel  |
|             |            |             | to a local office to sign |
|             |            |             | an affidavit of loss.     |
|             |            |             | Under this waiver,        |
|             |            |             | households will not have  |
|             |            |             | the added burden of       |
|             |            |             | signing paperwork and     |
|             |            |             | local offices will not    |
|             |            |             | have to process cases     |
|             |            |             | manually for each         |
|             |            |             | household needing a       |
|             |            |             | benefit replacement.      |
|             |            |             | *\*Note: The replacement  |
|             |            |             | percentage is not fixed   |
|             |            |             | and generally depends on  |
|             |            |             | the time of the month in  |
|             |            |             | which the disaster took   |
|             |            |             | place.*                   |
+-------------+------------+-------------+---------------------------+

Store/EBT Options That Do Not

Require a Waiver

[]{#ole_link6 .anchor}If a State agency does execute any of these
alternative procedures during a disaster, they should notify FNS of
their use.

  ------------------ ----------------------------------------------------
  **Other State      **Description**
  Disaster           
  Procedures for     
  Stores/EBT**       

  Increased Voucher  According to the EBT Standard Language Workgroup
  Processing Time    recommended RFP text for manual authorizations
                     (finalized 09/09/02), "A retailer has 30 calendar
                     days to submit the voucher, either electronically or
                     by paper copy, to complete the transaction." State
                     agencies may wish to allow authorized retailers who
                     are using the standard manual voucher process to
                     have 60 days, instead of 30 days, to clear manual
                     vouchers either via in-store POS machine or by
                     calling the EBT processor.

  Non-staggered      Section 274.2(d) requires that ongoing households
  Issuance           receive their benefits on or about the same date
                     each month. In order to minimize the impact on
                     disaster victims, States with staggered issuance
                     schedules may choose to issue monthly benefits to
                     households at one time, or on a non-staggered basis.
  ------------------ ----------------------------------------------------