The New York State Office of Temporary Assistance and Disability (OTDA) announced possible delays in the delivery of SNAP benefits to Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cardholders. This temporary interruption of services is necessary due to the change of the New York EBT system to a new contractor. The OTDA does not yet have precise information on the duration of this interruption, which could be shorter or longer than expected by the beneficiaries.
The outage is scheduled for Sunday, May 19, between 12:01 a.m. and 11 a.m., affecting SNAP benefits cardholders who need to access their benefits during that period. Therefore, the office issues this alert for people to take precautions and stock up on food before or after that mentioned deadline to use their EBT cards again.
“Millions of New Yorkers depend on these vital benefits to help support their families, and OTDA is working to expedite the EBT system change to minimize the impact on affected recipients,” said OTDA Acting Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn. “I urge all EBT cardholders to do their shopping and make cash withdrawals ahead of time, so they will not be inconvenienced during this brief switch over.”
Learn More: Qualifying Families to Get More SNAP Benefits in New York This Summer
Should I change my SNAP EBT Card or Its PIN?
There is no need to panic, as there will be no affectation on the money available on the SNAP benefits EBT card. The card simply won’t be accessible or usable between 12:01 a.m. and 11 a.m. During that time, you won’t be able to buy groceries or withdraw money, or access the customer helpline, mobile app, or the New York EBT card users website.
The OTDA has collaborated with the United States Department of Agriculture, local social services, retailers, stores, and community leaders to inform as many beneficiaries as possible about the temporary inactivity and the inability to use their EBT cards during the aforementioned period.
Once the process of changing contractors is completed, cardholders will be able to continue using the same EBT card and the same PIN, without the need to change either one. However, for security, it is recommended to change the PIN of the EBT card and of any credit or debit card regularly, not to share or write it, and keep it only in memory.
What Will Change in the SNAP Benefits Program in New York?
After the change of provider, the current online customer portal will no longer be available to EBT cardholders. From now on, users will have to download and access the new application called EBTEDGE and the customer portal to verify transactions, freeze or unfreeze the card, and change the PIN. Information about the new application and the EBTEDGE website will be published in otda.ny.gov and mybenefits.ny.gov.
There will be no previous or subsequent effects to this process, so users will be able to continue using their cards as usual. Only SNAP EBT cardholders in New York State will be affected, while those in other states or territories will be able to use their EBT cards without inconvenience. The choice to perform this process on May 19 is based on historical transaction data that indicates that that weekend has the lowest transaction volume, thus reducing the impact on users.
Maximum SNAP Benefits by Household Size in 2024
Here are the maximum allotments for SNAP in the 48 contiguous states and D.C. (Oct. 2023 to Sep. 2024), according to the USDA website:
- Household size 1: $291
- Household size 2: $535
- Household size 3: $766
- Household size 4: $973
- Household size 5: $1,155
- Household size 6: $1,386
- Household size 7: $1,532
- Household size 8: $1,751
- Each additional person: $219