Ohio’s Department of Job and Family Services has called on eligible Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program households to apply for replacement benefits after severe windstorms knocked out electricity across parts of the state last week. The announcement follows widespread outages that affected more than 100,000 residents, leaving many without refrigeration long enough to spoil perishable groceries.
The appeal underscores the fragility of food security for lower-income households that depend on SNAP. When refrigeration fails, families can lose an entire month’s worth of purchased food in a matter of hours, a setback that replacement benefits are specifically designed to address. Ohio officials moved quickly to publicize the claims process, stressing that eligible recipients should not delay in seeking reimbursement.
Storm Impact and Eligibility
High winds struck Ohio last week, with damage to power infrastructure leaving over 100,000 residents in the dark, according to reporting by the Columbus Dispatch. Franklin County and Licking County were among the most severely affected areas. The outages were prolonged enough to trigger the state’s replacement benefit provisions, which apply when SNAP households lose food due to a power failure lasting four hours or more.
According to a March 17 press release from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, eligible households can apply for replacement benefits up to the value of food lost, provided it does not exceed their monthly benefit allotment. Any approved funds will be deposited directly onto the recipient’s Ohio Direction Card, the electronic benefit transfer card used to access SNAP assistance.
Notably, the state has not specified whether eligibility is restricted to residents of particular counties, leaving the door open for affected households across Ohio to submit claims.
How to Apply
The process is straightforward but time-sensitive. Affected households must complete JFS Form 07222 within 10 days of their food loss and submit it to their local County Department of Job and Family Services. Before replacement benefits can be issued, the county agency must first verify that a prolonged power outage did in fact occur in the applicant’s area.
To support their claim, residents are strongly encouraged to provide documentation of the outage. According to state guidance, acceptable proof includes screenshots of news coverage, text or email alerts received during the outage, or maps showing their location was without power. While this documentation is not formally mandated, officials made clear it will strengthen a household’s application considerably.
For those in areas where a federal disaster declaration may be in place, impacted residents are directed to contact their state SNAP office directly for guidance on timing and procedure, as federal declarations can alter the standard claims process.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is responsible for processing all submitted claims under its established procedures. With the 10-day window already running, officials are urging households not to wait, those who lost SNAP-purchased food during last week’s storms should act promptly to avoid missing the deadline entirely.
