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SNAP CERTIFICATION MANUAL – SECTION 14000 14400 Replacing Lost, Stolen or Damaged Cards 14360 Account Balances

14400 Replacing Lost, Stolen or Damaged Cards

SNAP Manual 12/01/03 It is important that SNAP households understand they must report lost or stolen SNAP EBT cards immediately because SNAP benefits stolen from EBT accounts cannot be replaced SNAP households must call the Arkansas EBT Help Desk at 1-800-997-9999 to report lost, stolen or damaged cards. There is no charge to the cardholder for replacement of lost, stolen or damaged cards. If a member of a SNAP household calls the DHS county office to report a lost or stolen card, the county office worker must advise the household to contact the EBT Help Desk at 1-800-997- 9999. If the household reports in person, the county office worker will help the household call the customer service number and report the card was lost or stolen. If the county office worker does not advise the household of the correct procedure and the EBT card is not deactivated as a result, the household may be entitled to a restoration of those benefits spent after the day of the reported loss. (The SNAP and EBT Unit must authorize all such restorations.) The Telephone Report (DCO-271) instructs county office workers to refer reports of lost cards to the EBT Help Desk. Replacement cards will be issued through the mail. Whenever an EBT Help Desk customer service representative receives a call from an Arkansas SNAP benefit recipient, he or she first verifies the name and address of the cardholder. If either is incorrect, no action will be taken to replace a card. The caller will be told that the name/address information must be updated before a replacement card can be mailed. In most cases, if there is a discrepancy in the name/address information, the customer service representative will immediately “status” the EBT card. (This means the card is placed in an inactive status.) The client must contact the DHS county office and request correction of the discrepant information. When the DHS county office has made the necessary corrections, the client must once again call the EBT Help Desk at 1-800-997-9999 and request replacement of the lost or stolen card.