SNAP Prescreening Guide

SNAP recipients who experience a household misfortune that causes their food to spoil or be destroyed can receive a replacement benefit. The loss of food can be due to a situation such as a storm or a flood, which affects large areas, or can be specific to a single household, such as a fire. The amount of the replacement benefit cannot be higher than the household’s usual monthly allotment.

Examples of Household Misfortune:

• Extended power outage (four hours or more)
• Flood
• Fire
• Equipment failure (refrigerator/freezer)
• Failure to pay a utility bill

It is always possible for SNAP recipients who lose food in a household misfortune to obtain replacement benefits if the household:

• Reports the loss within 10 days of the misfortune either verbally (by phone or in person) or in writing to their SNAP office, and
• Returns a signed and completed LDSS Form 2291 within 10 days of the date of the reported loss to the SNAP office, either by mail or in person.
  • If the 10th day falls on a weekend or holiday, a form received the day after the weekend or holiday will be accepted by the SNAP office.
• Uses Form 2291 to fulfill the requirements of both reporting the loss and submitting the form, instead of doing these two things separately. In this case, the form must be submitted within 10 days of the loss.

Other Things to Note:

• The SNAP office should always issue replacement benefits if a household requests them and has experienced a power outage/shutoff of four hours or longer.
• The SNAP office should not require the household to bring in spoiled food to verify need for reasons of health and administrative impracticality.
• A household may not be denied replacement SNAP benefits because it has applied for replacement issuances in the past.
• The amount of replacement benefits provided depends on each household’s food loss.
• Replacement benefits are impacted by the time of month that the misfortune occurs. The later in the month the misfortune occurs, the lower the replacement amount will be. This is because a family would be eating the food they bought with their SNAP benefits throughout the month.

When Requesting Replacement Benefits:

• Be aware that Form 2291 is a legal statement indicating a loss of food due to a household misfortune and the cost of the food lost.
• The SNAP office/HRA center may use available information regarding power outages and flooding to confirm the accuracy of the statement.
• When SNAP recipients fill out Form 2291, make sure that they complete the form and that their writing is legible.

As of October 1, 2025, SNAP offices are no longer accepting requests for the replacement of stolen SNAP benefits.

Congress ended the federal authority to replace electronically stolen SNAP benefits in December 2024. USDA recently informed NYS that it can no longer accept requests for the replacement of benefits stolen through skimming.

What is Electronic Benefit Theft?

Electronic benefit theft (also known as “skimming,” “phishing” or “card cloning”) is a type of theft that occurs electronically, even if the EBT card is never physically lost.

Skimming devices are placed on a store’s card-swiping machine to copy EBT, credit, and debit card information. Card information is then used to make fake cards (called “clones”) to steal money from accounts. Skimming can happen anywhere EBT cards are swiped. SNAP participants impacted by skimming often find out when they attempt to make a new purchase or check their EBT balance.

Phishing is a different type of fraud where people are tricked into clicking on a link, usually sent through text or email, that looks legitimate. These links often direct the SNAP recipient to a third-party website or attempt to coax the person into providing their EBT card number and PIN, enabling scammers to create a point of access to steal the victim’s SNAP benefits. NYS OTDA and SNAP Offices will never ask for SNAP EBT account information by phone or email.

What Should Clients Do if Their SNAP Benefits are Stolen?

Immediately contact the EBT Customer Service Helpline to report the theft and request a replacement EBT card by:

• Calling 1-888-328-6399,
• Visiting ebtEDGE,
• Using the ebtEDGE mobile app.

The EBT Customer Service Helpline is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and assists Arabic, Chinese, English, Haitian-Creole, Italian, Korean, Russian, and Spanish speakers.