This notice sets forth the interpretation that the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses for the term “Federal public benefit” as used in Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. In doing so, this notice supersedes any prior interpretation in any notice or other document issued by any USDA agency. This notice also describes and preliminarily identifies the USDA programs that provide “Federal public benefits” within the scope of PRWORA.
We are committed to upholding Secretary of Agriculture Rollins’ priority to take swift action to minimize instances of fraud, waste, and program abuse, and to ensure American taxpayer dollars are spent with integrity and accountability. We are issuing this memo, both in support of that priority and in response to requests from SNAP state agencies and FDPIR administering agencies, for additional guidance on preventing dual participation and ensuring comparable disqualifications are applied in SNAP and FDPIR.
This collection is for providing SNAP households advance or concurrent notice of state agency action to store unused SNAP benefits offline due to three or more months of account inactivity and for those households to seek reinstatement of benefits prior to permanent expungement. Additionally, this collection is for providing SNAP households advance or concurrent notice prior to the state agency expunging unused SNAP benefits from the household's Electronic Benefit Transfer account due to nine months of account inactivity.
Retailer reminder with instructions for SNAP EBT chip card transactions at point of sale. Customers who have EBT chip cards should always attempt a chip (insert or tap) transaction first. The transaction may need to be completed with a swipe of the magnetic stripe, but the first transaction attempt should always use the chip.
This SNAP retailer reminder emphasizes Secretary Rollins and FNS are committed to fighting fraud, waste, and abuse in all USDA programs. We are equally committed to taking swift action aimed at eliminating fraud occurring in the SNAP retailer community and rooting out bad actors who take advantage of the taxpayer’s generosity.
In the event of a lapse in funding due the expiration of the current continuing resolution on March 15, 2025, state agencies should continue to administer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in accordance with federal statutes and regulations, following normal processes and timelines to send issuance files and to issue benefits through the end of April 2025.
This notice informs the public of the annual adjustments to the levels of monthly benefits in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (Summer EBT) Program. These adjustments reflect changes in the Thrifty Food Plan, as required under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.
This retailer reminder is for California and bordering states SNAP retailers. The purpose of this communication is to remind you of the impact to you as an authorized SNAP retailer if you have not prepared your stores to accept EBT chip card technology.
This memorandum is intended to clarify the impact of the American Relief Act of 2025 on upcoming SNAP benefit issuance.
SNAP benefits that are stolen on or after Dec. 21, 2024, are not eligible for replacement using federal funds. SNAP state agencies can choose to replace stolen benefits using state funds. There is no guarantee that state-funded replacements would be retroactively reimbursed with federal funds.