Valencia County residents affected by the Desert Willow Complex Fire have until July 21 to request emergency replacement of their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA) is offering this support to help families recover from fire-related damages.
The replacement benefits are available for SNAP households in ZIP code 87031. "Our priority is to support those affected by the fires in Valencia County," said Niki Kozlowski, Income Support Division Director. "Replacing lost and damaged food is one of the ways we are helping impacted residents."
Residents can report food loss by calling (800) 283-4465 between 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., or by visiting the HCA office at 100 S. 5th Street, Belen, NM, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
To qualify for replacement benefits, households must be current SNAP recipients living in the affected ZIP code and report the food loss verbally or in writing by July 21. No documentation of specific food items is required.
Additionally, SNAP customers statewide can replace lost or damaged EBT cards via the FIS EBT Edge app, website www.ebtedge.com, phone at 1-800-843-8303, or at local HCA offices.
This measure was made possible through Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s executive order declaring a state of emergency in Valencia County due to the fire. The HCA encourages eligible households not to delay as replacement benefits can only be processed if reported before the deadline.
Information from this article can be found here.
