After several reports of stolen food benefits in different states over the past year, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants from all 53 states and territories will soon be eligible to receive their refunds for benefits theft.
Stolen Benefits From SNAP Recipients Will Finally Be Return Soon! (PHOTO: Forbes)
SNAP Benefits Recipients From 53 Local Agencies Will Be Soon Eligible To Get Refunds For Stolen Benefits
A spokesperson from the US Department of Agriculture stated that the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) obtained submissions of state plans for reimbursement of stolen benefits from all 53 state SNAP agencies before the USDA deadline on February 27, which gave each state to be considered eligible to refund consumers who had their benefits stolen. The spokesperson Consolidated Appropriations Act, also known as the omnibus spending bill which was passed into law by President Biden in December allows each state to use federal funds to reimburse SNAP recipients who lost benefits to theft. However, states needed to submit their plans for how those funds would be reimbursed before February 27 to be eligible.
There have been several reports regarding about stolen electronic SNAP benefit transfer (EBT) cards by participants in both SNAP and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program over the past year. According to the Legal Aid Society and Empire Justice Center in Albany, N.Y, in New York state alone, 2,208 low-income SNAP benefit recipients were the victims of stolen SNAP benefits in August 2022. The two organizations sent a letter to the USDA last August asking for skimming-related policy changes and compensation for the stolen amounts.
Here’s How Criminal Works In Stealing Your SNAP Benefits
EBT robbery usually happens at cash machines or grocery store checkout devices through a technique called skimming and delinquents place magnetic strips and hidden cameras on PIN pads or point-of-sale machines to steal the recipient’s data and money from credit, debit, and EBT cards. Card skimmers often look like a normal part of the machine.
EBT cards don’t have the exact type of security measurements as commercial debit or credit cards. SNAP recipients also have lesser legal protections. Until last year, most states did not provide refunds for stolen benefits because the USDA did not permit states to use federal funds to reimburse participants. A few states, including California, decided to reimburse victims on their own.
The USDA states the dates for the implementation of the reimbursement programs, and the timelines for program participants to obtain compensation will differ by state. FNS will then check and approve state plans for implementation, which will stay in effect until FNS publishes its regulations.
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