Governor Wes Moore of Maryland announced on Monday that the state would use federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds to provide reimbursements to individuals whose Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card benefits were stolen between October 1, 2022, and February 28. This move will make Maryland the first state in the nation to use federal SNAP funds for reimbursements.
State residents who complete a reimbursement form no later than May 31 will have their benefits reimbursed in 15 days or less, according to the governor's office. The state estimates that it will help 3,800 known victims of fraud who have had $2.5 million in stolen benefits.
"My administration is using a direct and swift approach to reimburse people whose food and cash benefits were stolen," said Governor Moore in a statement. "We are demonstrating how our state will lead and find innovative ways to solve our common problems and restore faith in our family-serving institutions."
The Maryland Department of Human Services has approved nearly 1,300 claims totaling over $761,000 in reimbursed benefits since last week, according to Moore's office. EBT theft has become a growing problem nationally and can occur with "skimming" devices, which are used to steal the card and PIN number of a person's EBT card to access their SNAP benefits. State agencies across the nation have reported millions of dollars in stolen benefits.
To prevent future skimming in Maryland, the Department of Human Services and its technology partner, Conduent, are enhancing the state's EBT card system to improve security. Improvements include a card lock/unlock feature through a mobile app and EBT fraud alerts to make it easier to monitor account activity.
Maryland Department of Human Services Secretary Rafael López said in a statement, "The Marylanders we serve deserve world-class customer service. We are grateful for Governor Moore's leadership and for all of our partners on the federal, state, and local level who supported our efforts and enabled us to make this happen so swiftly."
No comments:
Post a Comment