Supplemental Disaster Benefits Issued to People Receiving Food and Nutrition Benefits in 23 Counties Impacted by Hurricane Helene

In response to Hurricane Helene, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is providing one-time disaster supplement benefits to help households already receiving Food and Nutrition Services in 23 counties. This supplemental payment was automatically loaded onto participants’ Electronic Benefit Transfer cards Sunday and are now available for use. There is no action FNS participants need to take to receive the benefit.  The total benefit is more than $16 million that was issued to 68,000 households and 135,000 FNS participants in western North Carolina. The benefit will bring FNS recipients up to the maximum benefit level they can receive for their monthly benefit for one month.

"We are pulling every lever we can to provide support for people and families impacted by Hurricane Helene," said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. "Our commitment to helping communities rebuild and recover from Hurricane Helene includes ensuring no one goes hungry during this challenging time."

NCDHHS received federal authority to issue this one-month disaster benefit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure households receive the same level of support as those newly eligible for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) benefits due to the hurricane. If ongoing SNAP households are not already at the maximum benefit level for their household size, these supplements will bring their benefits up to that maximum amount.

For an individual, the benefit brings them up to a total of $292; for a family of four, the benefit received brings the family up to $975; and for a family of seven, the benefit ensures the family receives $1,536. The benefit total is based on what the household received in September. Individuals and households already receiving the maximum monthly benefit are not eligible for the disaster benefit supplement.

Individuals and households receiving FNS benefits in the following 23 counties approved by the USDA will receive the one-time benefit: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties.

For more information about disaster supplements and eligibility, please visit www.ncdhhs.gov/fns or contact your local DSS office. For information regarding Hurricane Helene and additional resources and flexibilities in place go to www.ncdhhs.gov/helene or www.ncdps.gov/helene.