Disaster food benefits expanded to Rio Arriba and San Juan counties

Disaster food benefits expanded to Rio Arriba and San Juan counties 

San Juan and Rio Arriba residents, may apply beginning August 12, 2024 

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA) announced today that New Mexicans affected by flooding in San Juan and Rio Arriba counties may be eligible for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) benefits.   

Those affected can apply for D-SNAP August 12-16 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., August 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and August 19 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Approximately 127,000 residents of San Juan and Rio Arriba counties were impacted and may be eligible to apply for D-SNAP benefits. The current Presidential Disaster Declaration has been expanded to include community members who live or work in San Juan or Rio Arriba County in the identified zip codes: 87548, 87510, 87537, 87566, 87037, 87364, 87401, 87402, 87410, 87412, 87413, 87415, 87416, 87417, 87418, 87419, 87420, 87421, 87455, 87461, and 87499.  

“We are grateful for our federal partners’ assistance as New Mexicans recover from devastating flooding. Their support, along with the efforts of our dedicated staff, will help more families as we work together to rebuild our communities,” said Kari Armijo, Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Health Care Authority. “We want to assure New Mexicans that we are here to support them during this challenging time.” 

Impacted residents can apply for D-SNAP at the following locations:   

·         San Juan County HCA Office, 101 W. Animas, Farmington, NM 87401  

·         Rio Arriba County HCA Office, 228 Paseo de Onate Street, Espanola, NM  87532 

Residents unable to drive to the D-SNAP locations may call 1-800-283-4465, 7 a.m. to 6 :30 p. m. Monday-Friday to apply by phone, document their case, and verbally attest their information. 

To be eligible, residents may qualify if their home or belongings were damaged or destroyed or have experienced a loss or reduction in income and have unreimbursed disaster-related expenses, due to the disaster. Eligible households will receive one month of D-SNAP benefits to purchase groceries at SNAP-authorized stores or select online retailers. These benefits will be deposited onto an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, allowing applicants to use it like a debit card at authorized retailers.  

Additionally, participating SNAP households in the impacted areas, not already receiving the maximum benefit amount for their household size will automatically receive a supplement to increase their benefits to the monthly SNAP allotment for one month.   

HCA staff will determine applicants’ eligibility. The only requirements to apply for D-SNAP is to verify your identity and have information about your household’s income and any expense related to the disaster. The table below shows the benefit levels:  

Household Size   Income Limit  D-SNAP Allotment  
1  $3,041  $291  
2  $3,958  $535  
3  $4,547  $766  
4  $5,354  $973  
5  $5,899  $1,155  
6  $6,588  $1,386  
7  $7,087  $1,532  
8  $7,588  $1,751  
Each Additional member  +$501  $219 

To ensure one-on-one guidance, HCA will assist residents alphabetically by last name for the first four days of the application period. The remaining three days will be open to all applicants, regardless of their last name.  

Date  Alphabet Served   
Monday, August 12 A-G 
Tuesday, August 13 H-N 
Wednesday, August 14 N-T 
Thursday, August 15 U-Z 
Friday, August 16 A-Z 
Saturday, August 17 A-Z 
Sunday, August 18 Closed 
Monday, August 19 A-Z 

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We talk, interpret and smile in all languages.  We provide written information to our customers in both English and Spanish and interpretation services are available in 58 languages through our provider, CTS Language Link. For our hearing, and speech impaired customers, we utilize Relay New Mexico, a free 24-hour service that ensures equal communication access via the telephone to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled.