North Dakota Department of Human Services News

NEWS from the North Dakota Department of Human Services

600 E Boulevard Ave, Bismarck ND 58505-0250


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 16, 2009



Contacts: Heather Steffl, Public Information Officer, 701-328-4933



Federal disaster help doesn’t affect public assistance benefits



BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Department of Human Services wants public assistance clients to know that federal disaster-related help won’t affect income-based public assistance benefits. These benefits include supplemental nutrition assistance (formerly called Food Stamps), heating assistance, Medicaid, child care assistance, or other public assistance programs administered by the department.



“People who receive FEMA individual assistance to help them recover from a disaster don’t need to worry about their benefits being reduced or ending,” said Carol Cartledge, the Department of Human Services’ public assistance program director.



FEMA individual assistance grants typically help pay for temporary housing and other needs. The grants, Cartledge said, are not counted as income for public assistance programs.



“The goal is to help people recover from a disaster, and if that extra help affected public assistance programs for low-income persons, it would not support their recovery,” Cartledge said.



Public assistance programs administered by the North Dakota Department of Human Services and county social service offices assist qualifying low-income individuals. About half of them are children, and the remainder includes people who are elderly or who have disabilities, along with single parents residing in households that do not receive child support.



People can apply for public assistance programs at their county social service office. Information is available on-line at www.nd.gov/dhs/services/financialhelp.

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