USDA is aware of increased reports of EBT theft due to card skimming, cloning, and similar fraudulent methods. On Dec. 29, 2022, President Joseph R. Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (the Omnibus), which includes provisions for the replacement of stolen EBT benefits with federal funds.
USDA's FNS and ACF at the Department of Health and Human Services are aware of increasing reports of benefit theft by criminal actors through EBT card skimming schemes. After discussions with EBT processors and fraud prevention stakeholders, FNS and ACF have identified prevention measures that can be adopted to improve card security while we work towards longer-term strategies.
This policy memorandum transmits the Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) inflation adjustment for 2021 for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The adjustment was published in the Federal Register as part of the Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustments for 2021 Final Rule published on May 10, 2021, at 86 FR 24699.
Any firm may request administrative and judicial review, if it is aggrieved by any of the actions described in SNAP regulations. The Administrative Review Branch ensures that FNS follows the provisions of the Food and Nutrition Act, SNAP regulations, and agency retailer policy, and that the agency's administrative actions are equitable and consistent.
This is the 2017 Edition of Overcoming the Unpaid Meal Challenge: Proven Strategies from Our Nation’s Schools. This best practice guide is designed to support state agencies and local program operators in their efforts to find workable solutions to the challenge of unpaid meal charges.
This question and answer memorandum is designed to provide an overview of policies related to unpaid meal charges and to address common questions FNS has received from state agencies, school food authorities, and local program operators.
The purpose of this memorandum is to strongly encourage local educational agencies to accept eligibility determinations from a transferring student’s former LEA to minimize disruptions in meal benefits for low-income students and avoid student debt resulting from unpaid meal charges.
There has been confusion about how unpaid meal charges must be handled when all collection efforts have been exhausted. To help address these situations, this memorandum clarifies the processes of designating delinquent debt that has been determined to be uncollectable as bad debt and obtaining assistance to offset bad debt losses.
The purpose of this memorandum is to address the need for school food authorities participating in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program to institute and clearly communicate a meal charge policy, which would include, if applicable, the availability of alternate meals.
SNAP Questions and Answers Concerning the Trafficking Controls and Fraud Investigations Final Rule