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VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES REPLACEMENT OF EBT CARDS, BENEFITS AND FOOD

10/24 VOLUME V, PART XVIII, PAGE 1

A. Replacement of EBT Cards

This chapter covers general guidance for replacing EBT cards, benefits in electronic benefit accounts and food purchased with SNAP benefits destroyed in a household disaster. See Chapter G of the Virginia EBT Policies and Procedures Guide for additional information.

Households need an EBT card to access SNAP benefits. The cardholder may call the Customer Service Representative (CSR) for the EBT card vendor to request a replacement card or contact the local agency. The CSR will validate the system address before issuing a replacement card if the cardholder calls Customer Service for a replacement card. If the address is incorrect, the card vendor cannot mail a replacement card. The CSR will status the card if lost or stolen and will refer the cardholder to the local agency to have the address updated. The local agency must issue a replacement card via mail or a vault card, per the household’s request.

The local agency must offer a vault card as a replacement card upon request by the SNAP household. The agency must status the card immediately upon notification from the cardholder that the card is lost and/or stolen. A member of the eligibility staff in the local agency must complete the Internal Action and Vault EBT Card Authorization form to authorize the issuance of a vault card and notify the card issuance unit so that the card is available for pick as soon as administratively possible. Document crediting the replacement fee to the household's account. See Part XXIV for a copy of the Internal Action and Vault EBT Card Authorization form.

A request for a replacement card will result in the deduction of a $2.00 card replacement fee from a household's EBT account, unless the fee is waived by the local agency depending on the household’s circumstances. The vendor cannot waive the card replacement fee. The local agency must credit the fee back to the household's account if the replacement is due to a household disaster, lost or stolen, if the original is undelivered through the mail, the card is worn, or violence against the household or for improperly manufactured cards. See Part XVIII.A.4 for information about assigning and crediting of the fee for replacement cards.

1. Undelivered EBT Card

a. Undeliverable, Returned Cards

The post office will not deliver EBT cards with inaccurate or incomplete addresses. The post office will not forward EBT cards to a new or changed address if households move but fail to report the change to the local agency.

If the card is undeliverable because of an incomplete or inaccurate address for the primary cardholder or the authorized representative, the BPS must update the mailing address, as appropriate.

b. Nonreceipt of the EBT Card

In instances when cardholders report the nonreceipt of a mailed EBT card to the local agency, the agency must check the EBT account to determine the mailing date and check if the status of the card has been changed. If more than six mail

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