Disaster SNAP
In the event of a large-scale disaster, states may request permission from USDA to operate a Disaster SNAP program (D-SNAP). D-SNAP has special income rules and a very simple application process. It provides SNAP benefits quickly to households that would not ordinarily qualify for them, but that suddenly need food assistance due to a disaster situation. D-SNAP may also include special provisions for existing recipients.
Reference Documents
Replacement SNAP Benefits in a Misfortune
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.
Reference Documents
Resources
Replacement SNAP Benefits After Electronic Theft
SNAP and TA cash benefits stolen through electronic means such as card skimming, cloning, and phishing can be replaced through new SNAP rules.
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 or Cash 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.
Eligibility for Replacement of Stolen Benefits
SNAP recipients can submit claims to request the replacement of SNAP and/or Cash Assistance benefits stolen electronically through EBT card skimming and phishing scams. Even if the SNAP or TA case has closed since benefits were stolen, cardholders may still be eligible for replacement benefits.
SNAP benefits stolen on or after October 1, 2022 may be eligible for replacement including:
- regular, ongoing SNAP,
- restored, replacement or retroactive issuances, and
- Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP).
Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) and Summer EBT benefits are not SNAP benefits and are not eligible to be replaced.
Cash benefits stolen on or after January 1, 2022 may be eligible for replacement including:
- Family Assistance (FA),
- Safety Net Assistance (SN-FP),
- Safety Net Cash Assistance (SN-CSH),
- Safety Net Non-Cash Assistance (SN-FNP),
- Emergency Safety Net Assistance (ESNA) and
- Emergency Assistance to Families (EAF).
Deadlines for Applying
For benefits stolen between October 1, 2022 and August 20, 2023 the deadline to apply was April 1, 2024. If a cardholder is just learning of theft that occurred during this timeframe, they have 30 days from the date they become aware of the theft to submit a claim.
Benefits stolen on or after August 21, 2023 must be claimed within 30 days of the date the cardholder becomes aware of the theft.
Information Needed When Seeking Replacement of Stolen Benefits
When seeking to have stolen EBT benefits replaced, cardholders must provide several things to the SNAP office when submitting their claim.
EBT Transaction History
Cardholders should review and note their EBT transaction history so that they can report the following for each fraudulent transaction:
- The date the transaction occurred,
- The name and address of the business where the transaction occurred,
- The benefit type (whether Cash Assistance or SNAP),
- The amount of each fraudulent transaction (see below, “Determining the Amount of Theft”).
Cardholders should consider fraudulent transactions to be ones that they did not make or consent to.
Cardholders can use one of these methods to obtain their EBT transaction history:
- Access EBT transaction history at ebtEDGE or by downloading the ebtEDGE mobile app (available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store). If clients have never used ebtEDGE, they will need to create an account using an email address and valid EBT Card number. If they have reported their card stolen, they will need to wait for their new card to arrive to create an ebtEDGE account.
- Call the toll-free EBT Customer Service line at 1-888-328-6399. Through the Customer Service line, clients can access an automated menu that allows them to hear their ten most recent transactions. Clients can also use the automated menu or speak with a customer service representative to request a two-month statement of their account history. Agents are available 24/7 and help in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, Haitian Creole, Italian, Korean, Russian, and Spanish.
On the new ebtEDGE system, clients can access six months of transaction history via the website and mobile application. Transaction history dating back up to three years is available via the EBT Customer Service Helpline at 1-888-328-6399.
Filing a Claim
After reviewing transaction history and identifying the fraudulent transactions, the client can submit their claim to their local SNAP office. To file the claim, they will need:
- Client Identification Number (CIN) of the head of household or case payee
- Case Number
- Current Mailing Address
- Date, location, benefit type, and amount of each fraudulent transaction.
Determining the “Amount of Theft”
An occurrence of theft may span more than a single transaction. The occurrence may take place over a few days, or a case may remain compromised with ongoing theft transactions for several months. The “‘amount of theft”’ is the combined total loss resulting from (a single or multiple) theft transactions: beginning with the first theft transaction following the original skimming (or phishing, etc.) episode in which the EBT account was compromised and including every subsequent theft transaction until the compromised EBT card was deactivated.
When working with a household, carefully review the transaction history to identify the combined total loss due to a theft incident rather than just the initial transaction that started the fraudulent activities. The SNAP office will only consider the sum of the reported fraudulent transactions listed on the LDSS-5215/HR-210, even if it is apparent in the transaction history that there were additional fraudulent activities stemming from the same theft incident.
How to Submit Claims for Replacement SNAP
Clients can submit a claim for replacement of benefits stolen electronically using any of the following methods:
Online/Mobile App
- In NYC: File a claim online at nyc.gov/hra. This process may take as little as 10 minutes if the client has already reported the fraud and reviewed and identified the suspected fraudulent transactions. HRA strongly recommends that people in NYC submit an online claim.
- Rest of NYS: The application is paper-based, but an online application in myBenefits is expected to launch in the future. Households can upload the LDSS 5215 via the NYDocSubmit app if they live in a participating district.
By mail
- In NYC: Clients can print a paper claim form from nyc.gov/hra, or call DSS One Number (718-557-1399) to request that a form be mailed to them. Paper claim forms are also available in the local BAC or SNAP Center. Completed paper applications can be mailed to: Department of Social Services, PO BOX 02-9121, Brooklyn GPO, Brooklyn, NY 11202
- Rest of NYS: Households can mail the application to the local SNAP office.
In-Person
- In NYC: Clients can submit a claim via paper form or on PC Banks in any Benefits Access, SNAP, or HASA Center.
- Rest of NYS: Clients can drop off the application in person at the local SNAP office.
Once a claim is submitted, the client should allow up to 30 calendar days to receive a decision notice in the mail. Clients should anticipate receiving their replacement benefits on their newest and most recently used EBT card around the time that they receive their notice of determination.
Frequency of Replacement Benefits
A household may receive up to two instances of replacement SNAP benefits in each Federal Fiscal Year (FFY), which runs October 1–September 30. Households are eligible to receive either the amount of SNAP benefits that were stolen, or an amount equal to two times the SNAP benefits received in the most recent complete month of participation in SNAP before benefits were stolen, whichever is less.
How to Protect SNAP Benefits
USDA and OTDA encourage cardholders to safeguard their EBT cards and take the following actions to help prevent theft of SNAP benefits:
- Keep the SNAP EBT PIN a secret. Cardholders should not share their PIN with anyone outside of their household. Cover the keypad when entering the PIN on a machine.
- Lock the EBT card. Cardholders can use the new freeze/unfreeze card feature to help secure their EBT card and protect benefits from scam-related theft. See below for a “how to.”
- Check the SNAP EBT account regularly for authorized charges. Change the EBT PIN immediately to stop the thief from making any new purchases. By changing the PIN, anyone attempting to gain access to the EBT account via a duplicate card will be restricted.
- Check card reading machines to make sure there’s nothing suspicious attached to the card swiper or keypad. Skimming devices can be difficult to detect, but are often bigger than the original machine and may hide parts of the machine.
EBT Card Freezing Features
Cardholders can freeze their EBT card when it is not in use and then unfreeze the card to make a purchase. Follow these four simple steps to freeze an EBT card:
- Visit ebtEDGE or download the ebtEDGE app on your mobile device
- Securely log in to your account.
- Tap the new “Freeze/Unfreeze Card” icon on the home screen.
- Select “Freeze My Card Everywhere” and click “OK”.
Other Security Features of the ebtEDGE Mobile App and the Web Portal
Once clients set up their account, these security features can help them prevent scam-related electronic benefit theft and keep their benefits safe:
- Check transactions and deposits
- Block internet and out-of-state transactions
- Change PIN (if needed)
- Request a replacement card if lost, stolen, or damaged
