Some key deadlines are coming up for hundreds of thousands of South Carolinians eligible for food assistance programs.
The first is at the end of this week – and it affects people who have had their SNAP benefits stolen from them.
“When President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, it included a provision to replace SNAP benefits that were electronically stolen, whether that was through skimming or electronic cards where they were able to obtain a card number and then manufacture a fraudulent card using that number,” said Connelly-Anne Ragley of the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
The Department of Social Services says about 1,200 South Carolinians have already reported stolen benefits – totaling about half-a-million dollars.
People who believe they were victims between Oct. 1 of last year and mid-June of this year – but who haven’t yet reported this loss – have until Friday to do that at dss.sc.gov.
The other deadline is coming up next month – and it’s for families with children eligible to receive pandemic-EBT or P-EBT cards.
Those are the approximately 500,000 students who qualified for free or reduced-price meals last school year.
DSS is asking families to verify their mailing address by Aug. 10 at dss.sc.gov.
“It really only takes a few minutes to make sure that the correct address is on there, and that really will save headaches for parents and caregivers when those cards start rolling out around mid-September,” Ragley said.
DSS says if you’re not sure if your child is eligible to receive P-EBT because they qualified for free or reduced-price meals – to contact their school district.
Source : WRDW
