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.
Background Checks Comprehensive background checks are an essential component of child care licensing compliance, and is required every five years. Due to COVID-19, the child care industry has experienced tremendous hardship in securing staff to support in-person child care services for RI’s youngest learners. In order to help support child care centers and family child care homes in recruiting and onboarding full time staff, DHS is working alongside the RI Attorney General’s Office (RIAG) to waive comprehensive fingerprint check fees that are completed at the RIAG’s office in Cranston, Rhode Island. Effective May 5, 2021 through April 30, 2023, the RIAG will temporarily waive all fees associated with the comprehensive background check for child care staff and redirect those costs to DHS to reimburse through quarterly invoices. Child care center staff, family child care providers and household members will still be required to provide a signed Affidavit (form below) from their DHS-licensed employer validating their employment prior to having RIAG process the comprehensive background check. The signed affidavit will be the way you are able to receive a comprehensive fingerprint at no cost. If you do not have the affidavit, the RIAG’s office cannot confirm that you are a child care employee. The waived fingerprint cost is only applicable at the Attorney General’s office. Local police, at their discretion, are still providing comprehensive fingerprints but this waived fee is only available at the RIAG’s office in Cranston, Rhode Island. Background Checks Effective 2015 per federal CCDF law, all employees hired by a DHS-licensed child care providers are required to complete a comprehensive background check prior to employment. Since this federal requirement was implemented in Rhode Island, DHS has worked to centralize the background checks at the RI Attorney General’s Office (RIAG). A comprehensive background check consists of the following: RI Child Abuse and Neglect Registry Check – only available from the Department of Children, Youth and Families (formerly known as a CANTS check) National FBI Fingerprint Criminal History Check State criminal background check for RI (also known as the BCI) (If fingerprints were conducted in RI, the state check is included in the national. If fingerprints were conducted outside of RI, a state criminal BCI is needed.) State Sex Offender Registry (RISOR) National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) Interstate Criminal, Sex Offender Registry, and Child Abuse and Neglect Registry (for any individual who has lived outside of Rhode Island in the previous five years) Effective December 2019, the Rhode Island Attorney General will accept any and all staff members for walk-in fingerprinting. It is imperative to the Child Care Licensing team that you can hire, onboard and train staff to ensure successful adherence to the child care regulations. While you are still able to go to your local and state police barracks if necessary, the Attorney General will fingerprint new hires for you immediately. Please provide the fingerprint affidavit (below in English and Spanish) to all child-caring staff upon hire moving forward. It is important that you work with your staff to fill this out entirely, so the complete comprehensive background check can be obtained. Fingerprint Affidavit English PDF file, less than 1mbmegabytes Fingerprint Affidavit Spanish PDF file, less than 1mbmegabytes Background Check Requirements Infographic A Helpful Background Check Requirements Infographic is below in English and Spanish. Background Check Infographic English PDF file, less than 1mbmegabytes Background Check Infographic Spanish PDF file, less than 1mbmegabytes