Hurricane Irma food-aid program for disabled begins
Three attempts just weren’t enough: The Department of Children and Families is making a fourth effort to compensate people for their losses during Hurricane Irma.
In Irma’s wake, more than $1 billion in supermarket gift cards were given to 1.2 million Florida families through federal funding. And in yet another round, about 158,000 Floridians received an invitation this month to register for aid by telephone.
As part of a lawsuit settlement on behalf of people with disabilities, the Department of Children and Families is allowing a specific group of Floridians to be compensated for their food losses. The state counted about 158,000 who started to register last year but didn’t get any money. Only people with disabilities who started the process in October are eligible, according to an agency spokeswoman.
“We looked at the individuals who went online, started to fill out a few fields [of the application] and
didn’t finish,” said the spokeswoman, DaMonica Smith.
Applicants must swear they are disabled as well as attest to income levels that are at or below a certain level during the enrollment period, which starts Saturday and continues until May 24.
People who are currently receiving state food assistance also aren’t eligible. Those who did not receive a text message because they changed phone numbers since applying for the disaster aid in October won’t be able to call in, Smith said.
The Department of Children and Families has processed more than 1.2 million applications for the disaster aid, Smith said.
The aid distribution at South Florida parks last year was overwhelmingly popular: Some sites were closed intermittently or early because supplies couldn’t keep up with demand. Applicants waited as long as 12 hours at some sites.
November makeup days at the BB&T Center in Sunrise also produced long lines and reports of medical emergencies among those waiting for their interview to get the benefits.
Numerous advocacy groups, including the University of Miami Health Rights Clinic, filed suit against the state, alleging the distribution did not make accommodations for people with disabilities, violating federal law.
A two-day do-over allowed those with disabilities and the elderly to register by telephone in December.
There are no plans to increase the eligible pool beyond those who received text messages earlier in the month, and this is the final aid distribution for losses from the hurricane, Smith said.