COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) has been granted a federal waiver to issue mass food assistance replacement benefits to individuals enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 34 Ohio counties hit hardest by the June 29, 2012, storm and ongoing power outage. SNAP recipients in those counties will receive a prorated 13.3 percent of their monthly benefit.

ODJFS will automatically deposit that prorated benefit into the accounts of SNAP recipients in the following 34 counties: Allen, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont, Brown, Clinton, Coshocton, Franklin, Gallia, Greene, Guernsey, Hancock, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Licking, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Paulding, Pike, Preble, Putnam, Ross, Shelby, Van Wert, Vinton, Warren, Washington and Wyandot.

SNAP recipients who lost food during the power outage, but do not reside in one of the 34 counties listed above, may still be eligible for replacement benefits. Those individuals should contact their county department of job and family services as soon as possible, if they have not done so already.

A directory of county agencies is available online at http://jfs.ohio.gov/County/County_Directory.pdf.

All 88 county departments of job and family services are issuing July SNAP benefits according to the normal schedule.