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.
Attention SNAP Recipients: 12 Additional RI Communities to Lose Waiver and Impact SNAP ABAWDs Published on Monday, February 24, 2020 For most people, there is no time limit for how long residents can receive SNAP benefits, yet federal rules do limit this food assistance to 3 months in a 36-month period for people age 18 through 49 who are able to work and have no dependents, also known as ABAWDs. Federal regulations allow State SNAP agencies to temporarily waive the time limit for ABAWDs living in areas that have a high unemployment rate or a lack of sufficient jobs. A recently promulgated USDA regulation changed the criteria that states are able to use to demonstrate "lack of sufficient jobs" and what constitutes an "area" for the purposes of ABAWD time limit waiver requests and approvals. As a result of this new criteria, effective April 1, 2020, the following 12 cities and towns in RI will no longer be waived from the ABAWD work requirements/time limits: Central Falls, Charlestown, East Providence, Johnston, North Providence, Pawtucket, Providence, Scituate, Warren, Westerly, West Warwick and Woonsocket. There will be only one RI town, New Shoreham (Block Island), that will continue to be waived. When this regulation takes effect on April 1, 2020, approximately 7,779 individuals in Rhode Island will be newly subjected to the ABAWD time limits/work requirements. DHS is committed to helping all of its customers, and we have an outreach plan in place to communicate the change as well as explain other opportunities for those who are impacted by the loss of this exemption status. We are also engaging our many community partners and existing programs at other Rhode Island agencies to help these individuals and families to self-sufficiency. Moving all to a place where they can thrive remains the Department's goal. All SNAP recipients living in the impacted communities will receive a notice during the last week of February to inform them of the change for ABAWDs in their community. It includes a stuffer explaining in simpler terms how the change may impact the ABAWD individuals in the household that are not meeting the work requirements. Please visit the SNAP ABAWDs page (link is below) on our DHS website that answers the most common questions ABAWDs and others may have. It also includes helpful resources, forms that may be needed and details about our appeals process. On this page, community partners can locate the "Community Partner Unfit for Work Form" which can be completed and provided to DHS to assist with determining if an individual is exempt from the time limit due to being "unfit for work". ABAWDs meeting the work requirements are not subject to the time limit. Work requirements can be met by working, volunteering and/or participating in a SNAP Employment & Training Program for 20 hours per week, or participating in a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funded program. Participants interested in SNAP Employment & Training can visit the link below to see a list of available programs/providers, or reach out to DHS to inquire about E&T opportunities. SNAP ABAWDs SNAP Employment & Training