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.
DHS Gives Summer Electric LIHEAP Grant To About 14,000 Households Published on Friday, August 07, 2020 The RI Department of Human Services (DHS) recently received federal approval to give $100 summer electricity grants to our Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) customers who were given heating grants this past heating season that ended in May 2020 and have an older individual or disabled family member living with them. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a greater need for using cooling aids, such as fans or air conditioners, this summer because several older Rhode Islanders and those who may have underlying health conditions may be isolating or in quarantine. As a result, people who ordinarily go to cooling sites during the hot weather may be staying in their homes or apartments instead, and their electric bills will be higher. Using federal LIHEAP funds, these grants to about 14,000 households are another measure proactively sought by DHS to help Rhode Islanders. LIHEAP customers do not need to apply. They will be sent a letter in August from the Community Action Program (CAP) agencies that help DHS administer LIHEAP and worked with the families for their heating assistance. The letter will say they are getting this grant, and that it will go directly to their electric company (National Grid or Pascoag Utility). They will see the amount as a credit in their electric bill in the fall.