BATON ROUGE - In an effort to aid fishermen and shrimpers affected by the oil spill, the Louisiana Department of Social Services (DSS) issued an emergency rule today revising what income and assets can be counted to determine eligibility for the regular Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, and other cash-based aid.

The rule, which applies statewide, is designed to target the needs of coastal residents impacted by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill who may have recently lost income, but have assets that put them over the limit to receive aid.

"This rule will help many recently unemployed fishermen and others who worked in the seafood industry and have modest savings," said DSS Secretary Kristy Nichols. "Current rules would have required these citizens to liquidate their savings before they could receive assistance, a move which would undermine their long-term financial stability."