218 R.I. Code R. 218-RICR-20-00-1.16 - [Effective 4/29/2025] Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)
A. Electronic
Benefit Transfer (EBT) is an electronic system which allows recipients to
authorize transfer of their SNAP benefits from an EBT account to a retailer
account to pay for food products.
1. Eligible
SNAP households access their EBT SNAP benefits by using a plastic RI EBT card
along with a personal identification number (PIN) at point of sale (POS)
terminals that display the NYCE or QUEST logos.
a. In order to use an RI EBT card, the
cardholder must also use a secret four (4) digit number known as a personal
identification number or PIN.
(1) The
cardholder selects a PIN by calling the Rhode Island Customer Service Line at
1-888-979-9939.
(2) When using an
RI EBT card, the cardholder is allowed four (4) attempts to enter the correct
PIN.
(AA) On the fifth (5th) try, the
cardholder is locked out of the EBT system until the next day.
(BB) However, the card is not confiscated.
Cardholders must call the Rhode Island Customer Service Line at 1-888-979-9939
for assistance .
b. Electronically, the processor verifies the
PIN and the account balance and sends an authorization or denial back to the
retailer.
c. If approved, the
recipient 's account is then debited for the amount of the purchase.
d. No fee is charged when SNAP benefits are
accessed at POS terminals and no limit is placed on the number of POS
transactions in a month.
2. Recipients who receive both RI Works (RI
Works) cash benefits and SNAP benefits receive one (1) RI EBT card to access
both benefits however, the benefits are maintained in separate EBT
accounts.
3. In two (2) parent
families, a card is issued to one (1) parent and another card may be issued to
the other parent as an authorized representative.
4. RI EBT cards are issued in all DHS
offices.
5. Benefits are issued on
the first (1st) of each month and are accessible beginning at 5:00 a.m. on that
date with no weekend or holiday delays.
6. The amount of SNAP benefits for which a
household is eligible is calculated pursuant to policies set forth in in this
manual.
a. Disputes regarding the amount of
SNAP benefits for which a household is eligible are handled pursuant to
policies in DHS General Provisions Manual.
b. Disputes regarding recipients' EBT SNAP
account balances are handled by the Rhode Island Customer Service Line at
1-888-979- 9939.
(1) The Help Line is open
twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week and cardholders can view
their SNAP benefit balance and prior transactions online at
www.ebtedge.com.
7. SNAP EBT benefits which are
accessed through the use of a RI EBT card and personal identification number
(PIN) are not replaced.
a. It is the
responsibility of the recipient or authorized representative to keep the RI EBT
card and PIN safe from unauthorized use and to immediately report lost or
stolen cards to the Rhode Island Customer Service Line at
1-888-979-9939.
b. The customer
service representative changes the status of the card from "valid" to "lost" or
"stolen" thereby protecting any unused benefits .
B. Lost, Stolen, or Damaged EBT Cards
1. Cardholders must report lost, stolen, or
damaged RI EBT cards to the Rhode Island Customer Service Line at
1-888-979-9939.
a. The Customer Service
Representative invalidates the card thereby protecting the unused benefit
amounts. If someone uses the card before its status has been changed, the
benefits cannot be replaced.
b. No
fee is charged for the replacement of any lost, stolen, or damaged RI EBT
card.
2. Cardholders may
request a new card by completing request for replacement form or contacting a
DHS field office.
a. Arrival of the card
should be within three to five (3-5) business days.
b. In certain circumstances, an EBT card may
be provided at the local SNAP office.
(1) The
DHS agency representative is responsible for determining the instances when it
is necessary to provide an EBT card at the office.
(2) Circumstances that are beyond a household
member's control and necessitate an in-office issuance of an EBT card include:
(AA) A catastrophe caused by fire, flood, or
a severe weather condition.
(BB)
Lost or stolen mail confirmed by the Postal Service;
(CC) Unanticipated household emergency or
theft;
(DD) Domestic violence
situation;
(EE)
Homelessness
c. Cardholders who request a fourth (4th) replacement
EBT card within a twelve (12) month period will be sent a notice alerting the
household that their EBT account will be monitored for potential suspicious
activity. If another replacement card is subsequently requested and trafficking
is suspected, a referral shall be made to the Office of Internal Audit for
investigation of suspicious fraud and trafficking activity of the EBT card.
(1) Replacement cards are counted according
to those issued collectively within a case, not according to those issued per
individual(s).
(2) Documented
violations may result in one (1) or more of the following actions:
(AA) Disqualification from the program (See
§
1.9 of this Part for more information about disqualification relating to
trafficking);
(BB) Recovery through
recoupment/restitution (See §§
1.17 and 1.17.1 of this Part for
policy relating to establishing and collecting claims against households);
and/or
(CC) Referral for criminal
prosecution.
(3) In all
cases, the agency shall act to protect households containing homeless persons,
elderly or disabled members, victims of crimes, and other vulnerable persons
who may lose EBT cards but are not committing fraud.
C. EBT Cards
for Authorized Representatives
1. An
authorized representative is a person given permission by the recipient to
conduct SNAP transactions on behalf of the SNAP household.
2. In households with an authorized
representative, the recipient receives an EBT card and the authorized
representative is issued a separate EBT card and personal identification number
(PIN).
3. If the same individual is
acting as both an authorized payee for the family 's RI Works cash benefits and
as an authorized representative for the household's SNAP benefits , only one (1)
EBT card is issued.
4. Recipients
may cancel their authorized representative/authorized payee at any time by
calling the Rhode Island Customer Service Line at 1-888-979- 9939.
a. Customer Service immediately cancels the
authorized representative's/authorized payee's access to the household's
benefits . However, recipients retain uninterrupted access to their
benefits .
D.
Inactive EBT SNAP Accounts and Expungement of Benefits
1. EBT SNAP benefits that have been inactive
for a period of nine (9) months shall be permanently purged from the EBT system
in accordance with the following:
a. When the
oldest benefit allotment has not been accessed by the household for nine
months, the DHS will expunge benefits from the EBT account as each benefit
allotment ages to nine months since the last date of account activity.
(1) An EBT account is inactive if the
household has not initiated activity that affects the balance of the
household's SNAP EBT account, such as a purchase or return.
2. If at any time after
the expungement process begins, the household initiates activity affecting the
balance of the account, the DHS will stop expunging benefits and start the
account aging process over again for the remaining benefits .
3. DHS must provide a reminder notice to the
household at least thirty (30) calendar days prior to an intended action to
permanently purge EBT SNAP benefits .
4. In instances where all certified household
members are verified as deceased, any remaining benefits are immediately
expunged regardless of benefit issuance date or account activity that has taken
place.
E. EBT Adjustments
1. The agency may make adjustments to
benefits posted to household accounts after the posting process is complete but
prior to the availability date for household access in the event benefits are
erroneously posted.
2. Adjustments
Due to a System Error
a. The agency shall make
adjustments to an account to correct an auditable, out-of-balance settlement
condition that occurs during the redemption process as a result of a system
error.
(1) A system error is defined as an
error resulting from a malfunction at any point in the redemption process: from
the system host computer, to the switch, to the third (3rd) party processors,
to a store's host computer or POS device.
(2) These adjustments may occur after the
availability date and may result in either a debit or credit to the
household.
3.
Customer-Initiated Adjustments
a. The agency
must act on all requests for adjustments made by client households within
ninety (90) calendar days of the error transaction.
b. The agency has ten (10) business days from
the date the household notifies it of the error to investigate and reach a
decision on an adjustment and move funds into the client account.
(1) This timeframe also applies if the agency
or entity other than the household discovers a system error that requires a
credit adjustment to the household. Business days are defined as calendar days
other than Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.
4. Retailer-Initiated Adjustments
a. The agency must act upon all adjustments
to debit a household's account no later than ten (10) business days from the
date the error occurred, by placing a hold on the adjustment balance in the
household's account.
b. If there
are insufficient benefits to cover the entire adjustment, a hold shall be
placed on any remaining balance that exists, with the difference being subject
to availability only in the next future month.
5. Notice of EBT Adjustment/Right to a
Hearing
a. The household shall be given, at a
minimum, adequate notice.
b. The
notice must be sent at the time the initial hold is attempted on the
household's current month's remaining balance, clearly state the full
adjustment amount, and advise the household that any amount still owed is
subject to collection from the household's next future month's
benefits .
c. The household shall
have ninety (90) days from the date of the notice to request a fair hearing.
(1) Should the household dispute the
adjustment and request a hearing within ten (10) days of the notice, a
provisional credit must be made to the household's account by releasing the
hold on the adjustment balance within forty-eight (48) hours of the request by
the household, pending resolution of the fair hearing.
(2) If no request for a hearing is made
within ten (10) days of the notice, the hold is released on the adjustment
balance, and this amount is credited to the retailer's account.
(3) If there are insufficient funds available
in the current month to cover the full adjustment amount, the hold may be
maintained and settled at one (1) time after the next month's benefits become
available.
Notes
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