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.
Residents in ZIP code 87031 can apply for replacement benefits if they are current SNAP recipients and report food loss by July 21. "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."
To report food loss, individuals can call (800) 283-4465 between 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., or visit the HCA office at 100 S. 5th Street, Belen, NM, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Verbal reports are accepted without documentation of specific food items.
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 a local HCA office.
This initiative supports approximately 59 New Mexicans and follows Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s executive order declaring a state of emergency in Valencia County due to the fire. The HCA emphasizes that eligible households should not delay as replacement benefits must be reported before the July 21 deadline.
Information from this article can be found here.
