What you need to know
Congress has extended EBT theft reimbursements to December 20, 2024. This means that if your benefits are stolen by card skimming or similar methods before that date, you should be eligible for reimbursement. Reimbursements were originally set to expire on September 30th. We recommend using Propel’s security features to continue to protect your benefits. Learn more about EBT theft.
EBT reimbursement extension approved
Congress passed a bill extending the deadline for EBT theft reimbursement to December 20, 2024. The President is expected to sign the bill into law.
Originally, reimbursement for stolen EBT benefits was set to expire on September 30, 2024. Without this extension, most people would not have been able to get their money back if their benefits were stolen after that date.
This bill will provide a roughly 3-month extension and allow states to continue to reimburse victims of EBT theft.
Congress is also asking USDA & GAO to study EBT theft and come up with recommendations for how to better protect people who receive EBT.
This is good news, but it’s also temporary—and it doesn’t stop criminals from continuing to steal benefits.
Stronger EBT protections are still needed
At Propel, we’ve been pushing for this reimbursement extension, but we believe even more should be done to keep EBT users safe.
Two states—Oklahoma and California—are scheduled to roll out chip-enabled EBT cards in 2025, and we believe this security should be available to all users nationwide.
How to protect yourself from EBT theft
EBT theft is still a serious issue, and it's important to be proactive to protect your benefits.
This means checking your EBT balance regularly for unauthorized transactions, changing your PIN once a month, keeping an eye out for skimming devices, and being careful about responding to calls or texts about your EBT card.
The Propel app also offers several anti-theft security features to help you keep your EBT benefits safe. Here’s what we recommend:
1. Turn on out-of-state transaction blocking
Criminals often steal benefits information via skimming and then spend funds in other states. We recommend keeping this feature on at all times unless you need to make a transaction in another state. It’s easy to toggle on or off.
Currently available in AK, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GU, HI, ID, IL, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, NY, OR, RI, SD, VI, VT, WA, WI, WV, and WY.
2. Use Propel for suspicious transaction monitoring
Propel reviews your past EBT transactions for any suspicious activity. If we find anything unusual, we'll send you an alert to confirm whether you made the transaction.
If you don’t recognize them, change your PIN ASAP and contact your caseworker. Someone may have stolen your information.
Currently available in AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, GU, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MI, MS, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, PR, SC, TN, TX, UT, and VA.
3. Lock your EBT card (California only)
Card locking prevents your card from being used anywhere, so a criminal who has stolen your information can’t spend your benefits.
We recommend keeping your card locked when not in use and unlocking it only when making a purchase—it only takes a second!
Don’t worry, locking your card won’t prevent you from receiving deposits.
