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.
Bus Passes Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) offers a special Reduced Fare Bus Pass Program that allows qualifying low-income seniors (age 65 or over) and low-income persons with disabilities to travel free for two years. Participants in this no fare program are issued a “Valid All Day” photo identification card that they use to board the bus. RI Works (RIW) recipients receive the new RIPTA Wave cards, which replaced monthly paper bus passes that used to be given. Wave cards are hard, rechargeable cards used by all RIPTA customers. Like your EBT card, you keep it so it can be reloaded in a future month. It is plastic and embedded with a computer chip that keeps track of the value of the card. RIW recipients will be able to have one Wave card per eligible person, and those cards will be “recharged” monthly by calling MTM. When you call MTM, tell them if you already have a Wave card and be prepared to provide your family’s Wave card numbers. Telling MTM of your current card will prevent you from receiving multiple Wave cards for each eligible household member. Participants will still call MTM at 1-855-330-9131 to have the card recharged monthly and your Wave card(s) will be recharged via the phone call. For more information about the Wave cards visit: https://wave.ripta.com/