Mountain State Times

The West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS), Bureau for Family Assistance (BFA) has announced the conclusion of its program to replace stolen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This decision follows the expiration of provisions under the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which allowed the replacement of SNAP benefits stolen through fraudulent activities like card skimming and cloning until December 20, 2024.

The American Relief Act of 2025, enacted on December 21, 2024, did not renew this authority. Consequently, West Virginia residents who had their SNAP benefits stolen between October 1, 2022, and December 20, 2024, are still eligible to submit claims for replacement. However, claims for benefits stolen after December 20, 2024, will not be honored. Affected individuals can file claims by visiting local DoHS offices or contacting the Office of Constituent Services’ Customer Service Center at 1-877-716-1212. Additional information about local offices is available at dhhr.wv.gov/bms/Pages/Field-Offices.aspx.

Residents are advised to safeguard their benefits by using secure PIN numbers that are difficult to guess, keeping these numbers confidential, changing them regularly, monitoring EBT accounts for unauthorized transactions, and seeking assistance from local DoHS offices when necessary.

For further details on protecting SNAP benefits or other related inquiries, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service website at www.fns.usda.gov/snap/stolen-benefits or the Office of Shared Administration’s Office of EBT site at dhhr.wv.gov/ebt/Pages/default.aspx.