SNAP Benefits Update: Massive Outage Hits EBT Payments | Are You Affected?

A SNAP outage was reported across the country Sunday, with EBT payments affected by the processing issues.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides help to low-income families to buy their own healthy meals.

According to WECT, Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) is an electronic system that allows a SNAP recipient to pay for food using SNAP benefits. It is similar to a debit card.

At around 6:17 p.m., Down Detector showed 1,778 reported outages, which was down from a peak of 5,019 at 2:50 p.m.

The South Carolina Department of Social Services tweeted that they are aware of EBT payments and SNAP outages with approved retailers, affecting the clients' use of EBT.

The Department of Social Services (DDS) noted that the outage was due to a third-party processor outage experienced in several states.

The DSS tweeted once again on Sunday evening, saying that all systems have been restored and cards issued should be operational again at EBT retailers.

SNAP Outage

Illinois announced a big system outage for Link card users last week. According to Advantage News, the SNAP and EBT system in the state was down from Saturday evening, August 20, to Sunday night, August 21.

At the time, Illinois Link card vendors, including Schnucks, could not receive SNAP and EBT payments during the outage.

Link benefits that were available to recipients before the outage will still be available after the planned outage is complete.

The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) also confirmed on Sunday afternoon that the state's EBT processing system was down.

The state's DTA tweeted that recipients will not be able to use their EBT cards or check real-time balances at the moment.

Retailers, on the other hand, can manually authorize the beneficiaries' purchases, as reported by Cleveland 19 News.

Massachusetts' DTA announced on Sunday evening that the EBT payments system is functional again, adding that they will continue monitoring the situation.

SNAP Benefits Update

Some states have extended the SNAP emergency allotments through September, giving beneficiaries a financial boost of $95 or more.

According to DHS, the Department of Human Services for the state of Rhode Island announced that the extra SNAP for September 2022 will come as a supplemental payment on or about September 3.

The maximum SNAP allotment for a household size of one is $250. It can go as high as $1,504, and an additional $188 will be provided for each additional member.

EBT cards can be used at grocery stores, major retailers, and approved farmer markets. According to Go Banking Rates, recipients must enter their PIN to complete the transaction.

SNAP benefits can be used to buy any food for households, excluding hot food. Products that can be purchased include fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, bread, cereals, snack foods, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Produce food for the household can also be bought, such as seeds and plants.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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