USDA Approves Replacement SNAP Benefits Due to Winter Storms
Federal waiver lets eligible CalFresh households recoup food benefits lost during February power outages.
Zip codes receiving replacement SNAP benefits in the Sierra Nevada and foothill regions are highlighted in red.
CALIFORNIA — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that households in California affected by power outages from recent winter storms may qualify for replacement benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Known as CalFresh in California, the program delivers monthly food assistance to eligible low-income individuals and families through electronic benefit transfer cards. Power outages caused by the storms disrupted refrigeration access and led to spoiled food purchased with program benefits for many recipients.
Winter storms began on February 15 and produced widespread power outages across multiple regions of the state. Many households lost perishable items bought with CalFresh benefits during the outages. The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the measure to help restore food security for affected residents while minimizing administrative burdens during recovery.
The waiver allows California to issue automatic mass replacements equal to 50 percent of benefits for households that lost food due to the power outages. The approach eliminates the need for individual loss reports from every participant in heavily impacted zones. Instead, officials assume losses occurred when outages met the established criteria for duration and prevalence.
The automatic replacements apply to residents in 22 counties: Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Mariposa, Mendocino, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba. The following is the full list of 74 qualifying zip codes: 95689, 95666, 95629, 95978, 95930, 95942, 95954, 95949, 95248, 95223, 95226, 95232, 95224, 95257, 95720, 95684, 95709, 95726, 95634, 95636, 95233, 95255, 95251, 93664, 93628, 93621, 93664, 93651, 95556, 95555, 95558, 95570, 95546, 93623, 95389 95417, 95986, 95715, 95714, 95701, 95717, 95631, 95983, 95934, 95947, 95984, 92341, 92280, 93426, 94060, 94074, 94020, 96125, 95910, 95944, 95936, 95568, 95419, 95497, 95527, 93633, 93603, 95364, 95375, 95335, 95346, 95383, 95321, 95679, 95637, 95925, 95922, 95919, 95981.
SNAP participants in the areas hardest hit by the disaster may receive a portion of February benefits replaced automatically. Recipients in other affected areas must file an affidavit with their local county office to attest to the disaster-related loss and request replacement benefits. County offices will review submissions and issue approved replacements through the electronic benefit transfer system.
Additional details on exact issuance dates and procedures will come from the California Department of Social Services. Residents may check https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/calfresh/disaster-calfresh for updates or contact their local county social services department directly (https://www.sierracounty.ca.gov/305/Social-Services). Separate waivers already extend the standard 10-day window for reporting food losses through March 9 in counties such as Nevada and Tuolumne.