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Disaster Relief With No Income Test — When the Governor Names Your County

When the governor issues an emergency executive order, veterans, surviving spouses and called-up reserve members living in a named county can get SSAP assistance that is EXPRESSLY NOT SUBJECT TO THE PROGRAMME'S INCOME OR ASSET LIMITS. It can offset a drop in household income or assets, meet increased costs caused by the emergency, and repair the primary residence or vital property. Two veterans in one household may each apply. This is the version of state veteran assistance that reaches people who would ordinarily be told they have too much to qualify.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

When the governor issues an emergency executive order, veterans, surviving spouses and called-up reserve members living in a named county can get SSAP assistance that is EXPRESSLY NOT SUBJECT TO THE PROGRAMME'S INCOME OR ASSET LIMITS. It can offset a drop in household income or assets, meet increased costs caused by the emergency, and repair the primary residence or vital property. Two veterans in one household may each apply. This is the version of state veteran assistance that reaches people who would ordinarily be told they have too much to qualify.

What it's worth: Emergency assistance with the SSAP income and asset limits lifted

  • It requires a GOVERNOR'S EMERGENCY EXECUTIVE ORDER, and you must live in a county named in it.
  • EXPRESSLY NOT SUBJECT to the SSAP maximum income or asset limits. That is the whole point of this route.
  • Covers a reduction in household income or assets, increased costs caused by the emergency, and repair of the primary residence or vital property.
  • TWO VETERANS IN ONE HOUSEHOLD MAY EACH APPLY.
  • Reaches veterans, surviving spouses, and reserve members called to extended federal active duty, and their dependants.
  • Applications go through County Veterans Service Officers.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are in one of the groups this reaches.
  • The discharge meets the definition.
  • Minnesota residents in a county named in the order.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

Deadline: While the emergency order is in effect
  1. 1Check whether your county is named in the governor's emergency executive order. That is the gate.
  2. 2Go to your County Veterans Service Officer. SSAP is not applied for directly with the state.
  3. 3Say at the outset that you are applying under the DISASTER provision — the ordinary SSAP screening would turn you away on income.
  4. 4Document the loss: the income drop, the increased costs, or the damage to the residence.
  5. 5If two veterans live in the household, both should apply. The rule allows it.
Form
SSAP application through your County Veterans Service Officer
File with
Your County Veterans Service Officer
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingA veteran who was refused ordinary SSAP on income grounds should ask again after a declared emergency. The refusal does not carry over.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.