Households now have the ability to lock their EBT card.  The lock feature will prevent benefits (Cash Assistance, SNAP, & HEAP), from being accessed, as well as prevent purchases, balance inquiries and most other transactions until the card is unlocked.The NYS Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance (OTDA) released this new feature as a tool to [...]

Updated Income Guidelines and Increase in Benefit AmountsClick here for a full chart of the updated income guidelines for the SNAP program in NYS effective October 1, 2023. In addition, the maximum SNAP benefit amount, the shelter cap, as well as the homeless deduction have increased, see these changes on our SNAP Budget Worksheet.Our free SNAP [...]

NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA) has created a portal for those who have had their benefits stolen electronically (EBT skimming).  Cash Assistance (CA) and SNAP have separate rules on how far back someone can claim replacement benefits and how often. Here are some things to keep in mind before you file:Clients are not required to have [...]

In February 2023, the Legal Aid Society and co-counsel at Freshfields filed a class-action lawsuit named "Chen v. Vislack" against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The lawsuit aims to challenge the agency's regulations that govern the replacement of SNAP benefits stolen through a method known as "skimming," which is an electronic form of theft from [...]