711 ISSUING OR REPLACING EBT CARDS OR PINS (FSM) |
_____________________________________________________________
There are two different procedures for issuing an EBT Card, depending on the type of EBT Card issued:
● |
Initial EBT Cards – this is the first card issued to a newly created EBT Account; and |
● |
Replacement EBT Cards – this is every subsequent EBT Card issued after an initial EBT Card. |
Initial EBT Cards issue automatically when New HEIGHTS creates an EBT Account. EBT Accounts are deleted from the ebtEDGE system after there are 365 days of no activity on the account or 60 days after the last benefit ages off an account. Therefore, it is possible to have an EBT Card that is no longer linked to an active EBT Account.
Replacement Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards are mailed to a Food Stamp household or the District Office within two business days following the household’s report of a lost, stolen, or damaged EBT card. Replacement EBT Cards can only be issued directly out of the ebtEDGE system by support staff or EBT Customer Service. Replacement Cards cannot be issued from New HEIGHTS.
An immediate hold is placed on the Food Stamp household’s EBT account at the time the household reports the need for an EBT card replacement.
If there is an active EBT Account, ebtEDGE will display one of the following card statuses:
● |
Active: the current EBT Card in the ebtEDGE system can be used to access benefits on the EBT Account. |
● |
Bad Address: the current EBT Card has been deactivated by EBT Customer Service, and there is no EBT Card that can be used to access benefits on the EBT Account. This card status is only selected by EBT Customer Service, and is never an option to be used by support staff. |
● |
Deactivated/Cancelled: the current EBT Card has been deactivated by support staff of the EBT Unit because the client is deceased, incarcerated, or returned the card because they did not want benefits. A replacement EBT Card cannot be ordered from EBT Customer Service when an EBT Card is deactivated/cancelled. |
● |
Undelivered: the current EBT Card has been deactivated by support staff or the EBT Unit because the client never received the EBT Card. This happens when an EBT Card is ent to the DO and the client does not retrieveit, or when the EBT Card is returned to State Office and is not able to be sent back out. A replacement EBT Card can be ordered from EBT Customer Service when an EBT Card is deactivated in this manner. |
References: 7 CFR 274.6(b)