DSNAP Approved for 6 Parishes Hit by Hurricane Zeta, including Lafourche and Terrebonne
January 27, 2021
The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) received federal approval today (1/27/21) to begin virtual Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) operations in 6 parishes to provide additional food aid to families affected by Hurricane Zeta. The application process will run in a single phase from Monday, Feb. 1, to Sunday, Feb. 7.
DSNAP 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. The state must request that the federal government initiate DSNAP but can only do so after the president activates the Stafford Act and approves the parish for Individual Assistance (IA).
Bipartisan legislation would allow states and localities to partner with restaurants and nonprofits to prepare nutritious meals for vulnerable populations.
Introduction
As natural disasters increase in frequency and intensity, communities across the country have sought state policy solutions. Disaster seasons of the last few years have broken records across the board. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and 14 others made 2017 the costliest hurricane season on record. It would also have been the most destructive wildfire season on record, if not for 2018, the nation’s deadliest and most destructive year ever, featuring the deadliest single fire in a century―the Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif. The mega-fires of 2020 are still fresh in the nation’s mind―a year that gave California five of its six largest fires in state history, Colorado its single largest fire ever, and temporarily propelled air pollution in some cities to among the worst in the world. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the nation averaged nearly 12 “billion-dollar” disasters annually over the past decade―up from less than f
MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
SUBJECT: Memorandum to Extend Federal Support to Governors’ Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID-19 and to Increase Reimbursement and Other Assistance Provided to States
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121–5207 (the “Stafford Act”), and section 502 of title 32, United States Code, I hereby order as follows:
Section 1. Policy. Consistent with the nationwide emergency declaration concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on March 13, 2020, it is the policy of my Administration to combat and respond to COVID-19 with the full capacity and capability of the Federal Government to protect and support our families, schools, and businesses, and to assist State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to do the
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
On January 11, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new web portal to more easily permit healthcare providers and other stakeholders to submit requests for specific waivers of certain healthcare regulatory requirements under Section 1135 of the Social Security Act (Section 1135 waivers). Providers now have the ability to submit requests for waivers to CMS and confirm the presence of existing waivers through a centralized web portal.
IN-DEPTH
During the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency, CMS issued a broad variety of Section 1135 waivers on a “blanket” basis applicable to various provider types. CMS also gave providers the ability to request and receive approval for specific relief on a case-by-case basis based on a provider’s specific facts and circumstances. CMS’s instructions to providers regarding how they should request Section 1135 waivers has varied considerably over the course of the p