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

10/24 VOLUME V, PART XVIII, PAGE 4

replacement fee if the vendor fails to identify a replacement card at reapplication or a replacement for an inactive card. The local agency may also credit the fee back to the household's account, if requested, when the household identifies another primary cardholder or authorized representative.

The chart above summarizes instances when the local agency must credit the card replacement fee to the household. As indicated above, an eligibility or administrative supervisor must authorize the credit. The Issuance Supervisor must provide the credit.

B. BENEFIT REPLACEMENT

Households will not receive a replacement for benefits lost due to loss of the EBT card and/or PIN up to the time that the cardholder reports the loss to CSR or the local agency. Households will have benefits replaced if someone accesses the benefits after the household reported to CSR that the card was lost or stolen. Households will also receive replacement for benefits lost due to a system error.

C. REPLACEMENT OF FOOD DESTROYED IN A DISASTER

Households may request a replacement for food purchased with SNAP benefits and that was subsequently destroyed in a household disaster. This policy may apply to an individual household disaster or a disaster that affects more than one household.

The BPS must use prudent judgement when households request a food replacement. Eligibility for a replacement must be based on the benefit amount for the month, the amount of the food loss reported, and time of the month when the loss occurred on a case-by-case basis. The agency may deny replacement requests, such as for unsupported explanations or unacceptable collateral contacts. See Part III.A.3 for a discussion of collateral contacts. Households may appeal the denial of a replacement request or the authorized amount.

Normally, replacements would only be made to currently participating households, but this is not a requirement for a food replacement. The household must be able to provide a reasonable explanation to document the food purchase with SNAP benefits and the amount of time lapsed from participation in the program.

The household may be entitled to a replacement of the actual value of the loss but the amount may not exceed the benefit amount for one month. The household must report the disaster within 10 days of the loss. A household member must sign the Food Replacement Request form attesting to the loss. If the local agency does not receive the affidavit within 10 days after the report of the loss, the household will not receive a replacement. If the 10th day occurs when the local agency is closed and the affidavit is received the day after the local agency reopens, the BPS must consider the statement as received timely. See Part XXIV for the Food Replacement Request form.

The BPS must verify the household's disaster. Sources of verification include community agencies, such as the Red Cross or fire department or the power company to determine power outages.

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