Attention RI SNAP Beneficiaries Please be aware there is currently fraudulent activity taking place in other states affecting SNAP Benefits on EBT cards. While we do not believe there is any activity of this nature currently taking place in Rhode Island, please be advised you will never be asked to sign up for instant cash benefits or be asked to provide personal information, your card number, or PIN. If you ever receive a call, email, text, or social media invitation to do so, never click any links or provide the requested information.Please know, ebtEdge will never request this type of information from you. Please remember to protect yourself by changing your PIN frequently – using a different PIN each time – or by freezing your card. If you are uncertain about or confused by a suspicious inquiry, please contact DHS and call the EBT customer service line at 1-888-979-9939 to change your PIN. You can find more information on how best to protect yourself from possible SNAP-related fraud here.
Call Center Update DHS offices will be closed July 4 in observance of the holiday. To help ensure customers have ample opportunity to connect with DHS staff the week of July 4, the Call Center will adjust its schedule to take incoming calls Monday-Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Call Center will return to its normal schedule the following week.
Summer EBT Update This summer, families with school-age children who were income-eligible for free or reduced-price meals during the 2023-2024 school year will receive SUN Bucks (formerly Summer EBT), a $120 dollar benefit per child that can be used to buy groceries. Families will either see the benefit added to their SNAP EBT card or to a separate SUN Bucks card that will be mailed this month. Benefits will be available to use beginning July 1. If you have questions about SUN bucks, please call United Way of Rhode Island at 2-1-1. Additional information about SUN buck can be found here: https://dhs.ri.gov/sun-bucks
Translation Services Available If you are seeking information about DHS programs and services in a language other than English, translation services are available to you at no cost. Persons with disabilities requiring another form of communication, such as auxiliary aids for hearing and the visually impaired, can inform DHS about their needs so appropriate accommodations can be made.
ABAWD Waiver Changes Due to COVID-19 Published on Monday, March 23, 2020 On March 18, 2020, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act implementing several initiatives to help mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19. As a result of this legislation, the following are changes to the ABAWD policy. SNAP recipients who are age 18 through 49 who are able to work, but not working 80 hours a month, and have no minor-age children in their SNAP household are known as Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents (ABAWDS). Effective April 1, 2020, the three-month time limit will be lifted for ABAWDs in Rhode Island. This change will apply to all cities and towns throughout the state without regard to whether they had been waived or unwaived. One population of ABAWDs may still be subject to the time limit. If an ABAWD had been placed in a work or employment and training program, such as SNAP E&T and stops participating without good cause, they will be subject to the three-month time limit. The determination of whether there was good cause, such as a health or safety reason or a training program that has become unavailable due COVID-19, will be made by DHS staff. If good cause is determined, they will be able to maintain benefits beyond three months. The suspension of the time limit begins April 1, 2020 and will continue through the end of the month subsequent to the month in which the public health emergency declaration by the Secretary of Health and Human Services based on an outbreak of COVID-19 is lifted. We will communicate any such changes. An ABAWD will be granted a waiver from the time limit if they have good cause for being unable to participate in a SNAP E&T program or work, including but not limited to the COVID-19 impact. Programs that are conducted online or through other methods of distance learning will still be offered and participation is encouraged. Continue to get COVID-19, DHS updates by visiting our website (see below for link) and our Facebook page. For the latest COVID-19 updates and guidance from the RI Department of Health, visit (see below for link). The COVID-19 information line is 401-222-8022. RI Department of Health