The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) has just greenlit increased food assistance for residents hammered by Hurricane Helene. People living or working in eight counties, specifically Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington, can now hit up the TDHS for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) benefits, effective pronto.
According to the Tennessee Department of Human Services, these benefits come loaded on a debit-like card for use at grocery stores and other authorized retailers. Also on the table is a Hot Foods Waiver, which rocks a November 30 expiration date, in 13 counties. This one lets those with SNAP and D-SNAP, in places like Jefferson and Sevier, get their hands on ready-to-eat meals at USDA-okayed EBT spots, even if they're hot off the grille.
To get into this assistance, there's a gauntlet of criteria to meet. This includes a thorough damage assessment of the homes or businesses, loss or inaccessibility to income, or unrelenting disaster expenses. Folks already on Tennessee's regular SNAP need not apply—the program's no double dip zone. Income plays a big part here too, with a cap set according to the household size—a family of three, for example, has a threshold of $3,068.
