Replacement food stamp deadline extended
Families affected by the tornadoes that hit southwest Missouri will now have until June 20 to apply for replacement stamps for food they might have lost in the storms.
June 12, 2008
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a request from Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt to give more time to food stamp recipients affected by extreme weather to receive replacement stamps.
Food stamp recipients in the southwestern Missouri counties of Barry, Jasper and Newton, which were ravaged by tornadoes in May, will now have until June 20 to apply for replacement stamps if they lost food that had been purchased with stamps.
In a news release, Blunt said he was “pleased” the USDA granted his request.
“The effect of the storms that hit southwest Missouri in early May are still being felt by area residents,” Blunt said in a release on Tuesday, before the request was approved. “As families begin to repair and rebuild their homes and their lives, we want to ensure they have adequate time to request the replacement of these benefits.”
Missouri Department of Social Services Director Deborah Scott said employees of the department, which administers food stamps with funding from the USDA, are standing ready to work with food stamp recipients who need replacement stamps.
DSS spokeswoman Sara Anderson said it is common after severe weather for state agencies to request that the USDA waive its 10-day limit for food stamp recipients to file for replacement stamps.
President George Bush declared the counties disaster areas on May 23 after tornadoes and severe storms struck the area May 10-11. Sixteen Missouri residents died in the storms, and 14 of the deaths were in Newton County.
Newton County Presiding Commissioner Jerry Carter said the USDA’s decision was “outstanding” and “appropriate” for residents in the county.
“Anything that would get food to them, assistance to them, sooner clearly is a good thing,” Carter said.
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