This weekend, the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) will be shutting down the Electronic Benefit Transfer system in order to switch vendors, meaning those using EBT cards will no longer have access to their funds during this transition period. It’s expected to last from 12:01am through 11am Sunday May 19th; more information can be found online by following their links provided by OTDA.
What is EBT?
Electronic Benefit Transfer system, also known as Food Stamp Program or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), allows state welfare departments to distribute benefits via magnetically encoded payment cards with unique personal identification numbers for use at EBT authorized retail stores in exchange for food purchases. Retailers selling eligible SNAP items may apply to become authorized retailers by contacting their state agency.
This card can be used to purchase food, as well as cash and some services like transportation, haircuts, child care and health screenings. Additionally, it’s accepted at many farmers markets and direct-marketing farms across New York State. Residents who lose their card can use New York ConnectEBT to lock it immediately so all purchases, balance inquiries and transactions on it can remain suspended until unlocked again.
As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government created Pandemic EBT (P-EBT). This new program provided benefits similar to SNAP benefits to children affected by closures and other impacts related to COVID-19 pandemic, such as free or reduced price school meals due to school closures or impacts related to this pandemic. Funds loaded onto EBT cards that function similarly but with added features tailored specifically for this situation such as restricting transactions or requiring signatures upon each transaction or purchase.
What is SNAP?
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is one of the nation’s primary food assistance programs, providing residents who meet income and work requirements with various monthly electronic benefits to buy eligible food items at grocery stores, convenience stores and delivery services like Instacart or DoorDash. According to The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ research on this matter, SNAP helps households afford healthy foods while freeing up money for other essential household expenses.
Be wary if you use a state-issued EBT card to access benefits. Skimmers and phishers are on the rise and could easily steal your SNAP balance.
SNAP eligibility is determined by several factors in your household: number of members, income and assets such as cash and investments. Also considered are living arrangements and whether any member receives income other than earned wages (for instance from child care or alimony payments). Your SNAP benefits cannot exceed two times your average annual income and the benefit period lasts one year.
To apply, you’ll need your Client Identification Number, case number, current address, name and phone number; in addition to this information you should discuss who else lives with you as well as when each member receives income and how often. Once all this has been discussed you’ll fill out an application.
What is P-EBT?
Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) was a food benefit program issued to families during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist them with purchasing extra foods needed. Funds were loaded onto EBT cards and made available for use anywhere accepting EBT, such as supermarkets, grocery stores or farmers markets. P-EBT was distributed multiple rounds until its end as part of COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11-2023.
Most households received their P-EBT benefits by loading them on to their existing SNAP EBT card; for some households, additional benefits were loaded onto new cards that may look different but work similarly. Retailers must treat P-EBT customers the same as SNAP customers; selling certain common ineligible items like detergent or paper products could result in up to three year disqualification from participating in this program.
The OTDA recently issued the P-EBT Integrity Final Rule that mandates retailers take steps to prevent unapproved use of P-EBT benefits by individuals not authorized. Under these regulations, retailers are expected to request to see both an official proof of identity document as well as their P-EBT card in order to take steps that verify an individual’s eligibility for benefits and prevent fraud or theft.
Families whose children attended any NYC public school – public, charter, private, pre-K or parochial — who qualified for free or reduced price school meals during 2021-22 may be eligible to receive P-EBT this summer. If your household already receives Temporary Assistance payments such as SNAP/TA, their P-EBT should have automatically been loaded onto an EBT card in June.
What is ConnectEBT?
ConnectEBT stands out from other EBT apps by being directly tied to your official account, giving you secure and quick access to benefits information, purchase history and pin updates as well as reporting your card lost or stolen. Downloadable onto iOS or Android devices alike.
New York EBT users should take note that, on Sunday May 19 from 12:01am until 11am (ET), New York’s system will be unavailable to make a vendor switch and will prevent cardholders from accessing their benefits such as food purchases and withdrawals, cash purchases/withdrawals as well as accessing toll-free customer service helplines, mobile apps or online client portals.
Apps such as this now allow people to easily lock their cards if they become lost or stolen, while some states have implemented tools enabling residents to lock them when not in use, blocking all purchases, balance inquiries and transactions until unlocked again.
ConnectEBT app can be downloaded for free from Apple App Store and Google Play store as well as desktop computers and tablets, designed specifically to be used with new SNAP and cash benefits cards being distributed across Virginia that feature the Virginia Quest logo on one side and barcode information on the reverse.
