Councilmember Sandra Ung introduced a resolution in the City Council calling on Congress to pass legislation that would extend a program to reimburse Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits stolen through the skimming of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.
“SNAP is a lifeline for families who are already struggling to put food on the table, but when their benefits are stolen they are left with a devastating choice to either go hungry or fall behind on rent, utilities, or other bills to afford groceries,” said Councilmember Sandra Ung. “Without this reimbursement, we are leaving these families to suffer twice—first, by the theft of their benefits, and second, by forcing them to choose between hunger and hardship. Congress must act now to extend this provision. It is not just a question of food security, it is a question of fairness, equity, and compassion for the most vulnerable members of our communities. We cannot let families who rely on SNAP to fend for themselves when they’ve been the victims of a crime.”
The practice of hiding devices in ATMs and point-of-sale terminals in order to steal benefits from a person’s account has been on the rise across the United States. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that, in 2023, over 125,000 households across the nation experienced SNAP benefit theft totaling over $60 million.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (CAA) allocated federal funds to reimburse victims of SNAP benefits theft. However, the CAA is set to expire on September 30, 2024, meaning SNAP recipients who have their benefits stolen will have no pathway for reimbursement.
The Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service and state agencies are working to prevent future theft by strengthening EBT card security, but currently EBT card users are still susceptible to theft. This means households who lose their SNAP benefits for the month face either going hungry or falling behind on other bills in order to put food on the table.
Councilmember Ung thanked Congresswoman Grace Meng for her leadership on this issue. Congresswoman Meng joined a group of her colleagues in the House of Representatives to send a letter to Congressional leadership urging them to extend the CAA and protect vulnerable families.
Between January 2022 and October 2023, there were 80,000 reported thefts of stolen benefits in New York, resulting in the loss of $17 million that everyday New Yorkers rely on to feed themselves and their families.
After a summertime lull, Councilmember Ung’s Office saw an uptick in constituents walking into her District Office during September to report their SNAP benefits stolen. Staff members were able to assist many of them with obtaining reimbursements, but without a federal extension of the CAA, benefits stolen after September 30 will be without their SNAP funds and unable to provide for them and their families.
In New York, the Department of Social Services (DSS) is not allowed to reimburse SNAP benefits that were stolen after September 30. A person can still file a claim for replacement of skimmed SNAP benefits after September 30, as long as the theft occurred on or before September 30 and the claim is filed within 30 days after they learned the benefits were stolen.