Wildfire Disaster Cash Assistance
Update: Kittitas and Yakima counties as well as the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Yakama Nation within affected areas have been added to the places that may be eligible for Wildfire Disaster Cash Assistance.
The Department of Social and Health Services has updated its Disaster Cash Assistance Program to serve people who are affected by the wildfires burning throughout Washington state. DCAP for wildfires will assist households that have financial losses that will not be covered within 30 days.
If your household was impacted by wildfires in Douglas, Okanogan, Whitman, Lincoln, Spokane, Chelan, Pierce or Thurston counties, you may be eligible for DCAP. To qualify, you must:
· Have suffered losses and live in one of the counties designated a disaster area by Governor Jay Inslee;
· Be unable to live in or return to your home because of the disaster;
· Your home must be your primary residence (not a vacation home), and you must have been living there at the time of the disaster;
· Be a resident of Washington state;
· Meet household net income limits (ranging from $339 for one person up to $1,121 for eight people or more) after adjusting for income deductions including any unreimbursed fire losses; and
· Neither you nor anyone in your household is eligible for any other program that could meet your needs.
Some households may ordinarily be over the income limit for a program like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families but could still fall under the net income limit for DCAP once the financial losses are subtracted. Losses resulting from the fires, including house, property and/or personal property, may be allowed and will reduce the amount of countable income, bringing a household under the net income limit.
In order to provide assistance to households impacted by the wildfires, DSHS is updating the program’s rules so that you may be eligible for wildfire DCAP even if you received DCAP for the COVID-19 pandemic, as long as you meet all the eligibility criteria outlined above. To apply, go to washingtonconnection.org or call 877–501–2233.
Other Assistance:
Households that suffer a loss of food purchased with Basic Food benefits as a result of a disaster such as wildfires may apply to have benefits replaced if they report this within 10 days.
Please visit WashingtonConnection.org to see if you qualify for food, cash, child care, long-term care and Medicare Savings Programs or to find other services. You can also call DSHS’ Customer Service Contact Center at 877–501–2233.