Available Emergency Assistance

Assistance for Displaced Households (HHs)

New applicants or continuing HHs that have been Displaced by California disasters, but no Presidential Declaration has been granted, can request services under displaced services.

Important: Only Disaster CalFresh (D-CalFresh) requires a Presidential Declaration with IA. Information on D-CalFresh is located in Disaster Issuance.

Replacement Benefits for a Continuing HH

Continuing HHs can request CalFresh Replacement Benefits when the HH experiences food loss due to a general HH misfortune or a disaster.

CalFresh HHs Displaced by California Disasters

New CalFresh Applicants

Statewide counties will serve displaced applicant HH under regular CF eligibility rules, including screening for Expedited Services, regardless of whether or not the HH is a permanent resident of the county the HH is applying in.

Expedited Service (ES)

Counties are required to screen all applicants to determine if the applicant displaced HH meets the criteria for ES. When the CF application indicates that a HH meets one of the three ES criteria, the application must be processed within three calendar days.

Refer to Expedited Services for ES eligibility information.

Residency Verification

When verification of residency is impossible due to unusual circumstances, such as a disaster, the EW will accept self-certification, and this must be documented in the case record. No length of residency is imposed in this situation.

There are several options to ensure that the displaced HH, without a permanent mailing address, receives notices and these may include:

• Using the address of a friend or family member,
• Using the address of a local shelter,
• Holding correspondence at the local office for pick-up, or
• Sending correspondence to a local post office as general delivery.

Other Verification

If a displaced HH is unable to provide necessary verifications requested due to unusual circumstances, telephonic signature, or a signed and dated written affidavit, or as a last resort self-certification can be used in place of the requested verification. If self-certification is used as a last resort, this must be clearly be documented in the case record.

Continuing Displaced CalFresh HH

Counties statewide will serve displaced CF HHs who have an active CF case in the disaster-affected area. During a disaster, special contact instructions may be provided to the public and counties to expedite the process of assisting CF HHs from the disaster affected area.

If a county receives a CF related request from a HH with an active case in a disaster-affected county, they may contact the county with the active case to assist with processing requests such as:

• EBT card replacement, or
• Replacement benefits, or
• SAR 7 processing, etc.

Processing Requests from a Disaster-Affected County

When a resident county with the active case calls the assisting county or vice versa, a “warm hand off” must always be provided. The initiating county worker will:

• Remain on the line with the HH until the call is answered, and
• Explain the HH’s situation and needs to the other county worker in the county with the active case, and
• Ensure that the HH’s needs can be met.

ExampleExample

Replacement Benefits [CFR 274.6]

Federal regulations provide for the replacement of food lost by individual recipients due to a HH misfortune or disaster. Examples of these are:

• Power outage,
• Equipment failure,
• Fire,
• Flood or other disaster, etc.

Only continuing CalFresh HH(s) qualify to receive replacement benefits.

Replacement Benefit Procedures

Prior to issuing CF replacement benefits, the EW must verify the HH misfortune. Verification includes, but is not limited to collateral contact, obtaining documentation from a community agency such as the utility company, fire department, or the Red Cross.

In cases where available documentation indicates that a HH's request for replacement benefits appear to be questionable or fraudulent, the EW may delay or deny the issuance of replacement benefits. A delay of replacement issuance may last for up to seven additional days and the reason for delay must be clearly documented in the case record.

Replacement and Affidavit/Authorization (CF 303)

After a CF HH contacts the EW to report the food loss and request replacement benefits, the EW must provide the CF HH with the “Replacement and Affidavit/Authorization” (CF 303) form as soon as possible. The CF 303 is an affidavit attesting to the food loss.

The HH may be provided the CF 303:

• In person, or
• By mail, or
• An electronic version.

A HH has ten days from the date their food was destroyed to report the food loss to be considered timely.

However, if the tenth day falls on a weekend or holiday, and the CF 303 is received the business day after the weekend or holiday, then the CF 303 is considered to be received timely. The ten-day time-frame applies unless the HH’s county of residence has been approved for an extension of the timely reporting rules.

If the signed CF 303 is not received within the ten days of the date the food was destroyed, no replacement benefits will be issued and the EW must document this in the case record.

The CF 303 may be signed through telephonic signature or may be returned to the EW:

• In person, or
• By mail, or
• By fax, or
• Through the Online benefits portal.

Approval/Denial

The CF 303 must be approved or denied. If approved, the CF replacement benefits must be issued within two business days of the signed form being submitted. The EW must document all approvals and denials of requests for replacement benefits in the case record.

The HH must be informed of their right to a fair hearing via the NA Back 9, which is located on the backside of the CF 303. The HH can contest the following:

• A denial of CF replacement benefits.
• The amount of CF replacement benefits that were issued.
• A delay in CF replacement benefit issuance.

Note: If a county is approved to issue mass replacement benefits, HHs that have already received individual replacement benefits will be excluded before mass replacement benefits are issued.

Important: During a disaster response, it is possible that an entire county or specific ZIP codes within a county will be approved for a Timely Household Reporting of Food Loss Waiver. This waiver would extend the amount of time in which a HH has to report food loss, allowing up to 30 days from the date of the disaster to report instead of the normal ten days.

Methodology for Calculating Replacement Benefit Amount

When making an individual benefit replacement request, if a HH can verify the amount of food lost due to a HH misfortune, the EW must determine the benefit replacement based on that amount. The EW must clearly document this determination of replacement benefits in the case record, including how the HH verified this amount of food loss.

If the HH cannot verify the amount of food lost, the EW must calculate the benefit replacement based on the assumption that CF benefits issued to the HH have been fully expended at the time of the HH misfortune. Then, by determining the amount of days between the HH misfortune and the HH's next monthly issuance, the final replacement amount is determined.

The method to determine the amount of benefit replacement takes into consideration both the HH's daily issuance amount and the date of the disaster or HH misfortune start date.

Example 1Example 1

Power Outages

When calculating the benefit replacement amount due to power outages, it is considered that a HH typically spends 70% of their monthly CF benefits on perishable food items.

Example 2Example 2

Reminder: For structural loss or irreparable damages, the benefit replacement amount must not be limited to 70%.

Multiple Replacements in the Same Month

There are no limits on the number of benefit replacements a HH may request. The maximum replacement amount a HH may receive depends on the number of HH misfortunes that occurred in the same month.

Single Household Misfortune

For multiple replacements resulting from a single HH misfortune, the cumulative replacement amount cannot exceed the HH's regular monthly CalFresh allotment, if the reports are timely.

ExampleExample

Multiple Household Misfortunes

For multiple replacements resulting from separate HH misfortunes that occurred in the same month, the cumulative replacement amount may exceed the HH's regular monthly CalFresh allotment, if the reports are timely.

ExampleExample

Replacement Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Cards

[Refer to Common Place Handbook Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Cards]

Emergency Response Waivers

The following federal waivers are available for Counties and should be submitted as soon as possible after a disaster strikes and there is potential food loss. Counties who wish to pursue such a waiver can submit an inquiry to DisasterCalFresh@dss.ca.gov.

Timely Reporting Waiver

The Timely Reporting Waiver (TRW) extends the 10-day timeframe in which CalFresh HHs must report food loss in order to individually request replacement benefits. The 10-day timeframe is typically extended to 30-days. Counties may request that the CDSS submit a TRW on their behalf when there has been a natural or man-made disaster, including power outages, that impacted a large number of CalFresh HHs, and anticipates that additional time is needed to receive and process the individual replacement requests.

Automatic/Mass Replacement Waiver

The Automatic/Mass Replacement Waiver (AMR) allows for automatic replacement of a HH's benefit allotment, up to a certain percentage. The percentage is determined by the time of the month and the county’s issuance cycle. AMRs do not require individual replacement requests. CDSS must include specific caseload data and documentation indicating that widespread food loss can be assumed due to adverse effects of the disaster, such as wildfire destruction, severe storms, or prolonged power outages that impact a majority (50% or more) of residents in each geographic area (e.g., ZIP code).

The Replacement Affidavit (CF 303) is not required if counties are approved for AMRs from FNS.

If the percentage of a HH's benefit allotment that were automatically replaced do not accurately reflect the actual food loss experienced by the HH, the HH must make the request before the county can issue a replacement amount that, when combined with the mass replacement, reflects the actual amount of the HH's loss.

ExampleExample

Hot Food Waiver

The Hot Food Waiver allows CalFresh HHs to have the ability to purchase hot foods with EBT food benefits during the time specified in the waiver. When hot foods are purchased with SNAP EBT benefits, the purchases are NOT subject to sales tax, as the foods mentioned above are considered SNAP eligible during this period. 

FNS notifies SNAP authorized retailers in the impacted counties about the waiver. FNS encourages all SNAP authorized retail food stores to post a special notice in the store letting SNAP customers know that they can use their SNAP EBT benefits to purchase hot foods. 

Disaster CalFresh

In order to operate Disaster CalFresh (D-CalFresh), the state of California must receive a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration with IA for the impacted area. A State of Emergency does not authorize D-CalFresh operations.

For more information regarding D-CalFresh operations, refer to Disaster CalFresh Program (DCFP).

Related Topics

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