9093.11 Issuing EBT Cards to Households Receiving Food Benefits

Statutory Authority 7 CFR 274.2 (b) & (f); 7 CFR 274.6 (b); 7 CFR 273.2 (f)(1)(vii) Delaware issues Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards to households receiving food benefits at initial certification and when households request replacement EBT cards. 1. Delaware issues EBT cards to households certified for food benefits to ensure households have the opportunity to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in accordance with DSSM 9093.7. 2. Delaware issues replacement EBT cards to households reporting a damaged, defective, lost, or stolen EBT card. 3. Delaware's standard method for EBT card issuance is by mail. Households that need immediate access to an initial or replacement EBT card may receive an over-the-counter EBT card from the Division of State Service Centers (DSSC). 4. Delaware's EBT vendor mails EBT cards to newly certified households and households that request replacement EBT cards. A. The EBT vendor mails EBT cards and instructions for card activation and usage directly to a household's address on file in Delaware's eligibility system. B. If a household has never had an EBT card, the following will occur once the food benefit case is approved: i. A new EBT account is established; ii. The initial EBT card will be issued to the case head; iii. The household will receive the initial EBT card in the mail within 3-14 calendar days (depending on mailing times). C. If a household needs a replacement EBT card, the following will occur once the replacement request is received: i. A replacement EBT card will be issued to the case head; ii. The household will receive the replacement EBT card in the mail within 3-14 calendar days (depending on mailing times). D. Households that need a replacement EBT card but do not have an open food benefit case must receive a mailed replacement EBT card. 5. DSSC provides over-the-counter EBT cards to households that have an immediate need to access their food benefits at initial certification or when a replacement EBT card is requested. A. A household is considered to have an immediate need to access food benefits when: i. The household does not have an EBT card and is eligible for expedited processing as defined in DSSM 9041 and DSSM 9041.1; ii. The household does not have an EBT card and is at risk of not receiving timely benefits in accordance with DSSM 9093.7; iii. The household's EBT card was damaged, defective, lost, or stolen, and the household has benefits available in their EBT account and an open food benefit case; or iv. The household has a special circumstance, such as, but not limited to: a. Residing in a domestic violence, emergency, or homeless shelter; b. Lacking a fixed place of residence or mailing address; c. The household's EBT card was damaged or lost in a natural disaster. B. Households that have an immediate need to access food benefits may visit any DSSC EBT card site to request an EBT card. i. The initial or replacement EBT card will be issued to the case head; or ii. With the case head's permission, the initial or replacement EBT card may be issued to: a. A member of the food benefit household who is age 18 or older; or b. The household's food benefit authorized representative. C. DSSC EBT staff must verify the identity of the individual receiving the EBT card for the household. i. DSSC will accept any documents which reasonably establish the individual's identity and will not require a specific type of identification. a. Identity can be verified through readily available documentary evidence, such as, but not limited to: • A driver's license; • A work or school ID; • An ID for health benefits; • An ID for an assistance or social services program; • A Social Security card; • A voter registration card; • Wage stubs; or • A birth certificate. ii. Delaware Health and Social Services (DHSS) staff may assist households in obtaining verification documents. DHSS staff cannot be used as a collateral contact to verify the identity of the individual receiving the EBT card. iii. An EBT card cannot be issued to an individual whose identity cannot be verified. D. DSSC EBT staff will issue an EBT card to the household and provide instructions for card activation and usage. E. Each DSSC EBT card site will maintain an EBT card issuance log to record issuance dates, EBT card numbers, and cardholders' names and signatures. F. Each DSSC EBT card site will maintain an EBT card destruction log to record destruction dates, destruction reasons, EBT card numbers, and cardholders' names. i. DSSC EBT staff will destroy damaged, defective, or deactivated EBT cards that are from EBT card stock or returned by households. ii. EBT cards are destroyed by cutting or shredding the card. 6. DSS and DMMA are responsible for certifying food benefits and are excluded from issuing EBT cards. A. DSS and DMMA staff may request mailed replacement EBT cards for households through Delaware's eligibility system or EBT system. 27 DE Reg. 111 (08/01/23)