Latest news with #MassachusettsDepartmentofTransitionalAssistance
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Massachusetts EBT outage: SNAP benefit cardholders will be unable to use them this weekend
The more than 1 million Massachusetts residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will be unable to use their EBT cards for a portion of this weekend. The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance announced that there will be a full EBT outage beginning late Saturday night April 26 and continuing into Sunday April 27. During the outage period, EBT cardholders will not be able to use them for food and cash purchases or for cash withdrawals. The DTA said about 1.1 million people in Massachusetts rely on SNAP benefits and nearly all of them access their benefits via an EBT card. The DTA said the outage will begin Saturday, April 26 at 11 p.m. and continue until midday Sunday, April 27. The agency said a message will be posted online at once cards are available for use again. After the outage, cardholders will be able to use them as normal and they don't need to do anything to reactivate. The DTA said SNAP benefits will not be impacted by the outage, but clients won't be able to access them during the period. The EBT system will be undergoing maintenance that will require a brief outage period, according to the DTA. The agency said it is switching which company it uses to issue EBT cards to clients, pay out benefits and manage the EBT system. The EBT card outage applies to anyone who receives SNAP benefits from the state. During the maintenance period, these cardholders will be unable to buy food or withdraw cash. Those who get Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Emergency Aid to the Elderly Disabled and Children benefits on their EBT cards will also be affected by the outage. Melina Khan is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY Network - New England, which serves more than a dozen affiliated publications across New England. She can be reached at MKhan@ This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Why isn't my Mass. EBT card working? Is everyone having this problem?
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mass. EBT card usage will be down several hours this weekend
Mass., (WPRI) — This weekend, anyone in Massachusetts who uses EBT cards for their SNAP benefits, will not be able to use them for several hours. The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance says they will be doing system maintenance, and as a result EBT cards won't work from 11 p.m. Saturday until mid-day Sunday. The department says they're letting people know by text message, e-mail, and regular mail. For more information on the outage, you can click here. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Massachusetts EBT outage: SNAP benefit cardholders will not be to use them this weekend
The more than one million Massachusetts residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will be unable to use their EBT cards for a portion of this weekend. The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance announced that there will be a full EBT outage beginning late Saturday night April 26 and continuing into Sunday April 27. During the outage period, EBT cardholders will not be able to use them for food and cash purchases or for cash withdrawals. The DTA said about 1.1 million people in Massachusetts rely on SNAP benefits, and nearly all of them access their benefits via an EBT card. The DTA said the outage will begin on Saturday, April 26 at 11 p.m. and continue until midday Sunday, April 27. The agency said a message will be posted online at once cards are available for use again. After the outage, cardholders will be able to use them as normal and they don't need to do anything to reactivate. The DTA said SNAP benefits will not be impacted by the outage, but clients won't be able to access them during the period. The EBT system will be undergoing maintenance that will require a brief outage period, according to the DTA. The agency said it is switching which company it uses to issue EBT cards to clients, pay out benefits and manage the EBT system. The EBT card outage applies to anyone who receives SNAP benefits from the state. During the maintenance period, these cardholders will be unable to buy food or withdraw cash. Those who get Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Emergency Aid to the Elderly Disabled and Children benefits on their EBT cards will also be affected by the outage. Melina Khan is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY Network - New England, which serves more than a dozen affiliated publications across New England. She can be reached at MKhan@ This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: MA EBT card outage planned for this weekend. What you need to know
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Yahoo
As EBT card skimming soars, Mass. lawmakers file bills to reimburse victims
The very day Dori Krikorian's benefits deposit hit her account, she says it was just as quickly stolen. When she called the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), the agency that distributes SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, she learned her EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card had been fraudulently used in New York and the nearly $300 she needed for food was gone. 'It's hard. It's hard for people. I'm on disability as well. I'm on a limited income. I need this help, and I depend on it,' Krikorian said. 'Who does this? Normal people don't do this to other people, specially people in need. I mean, that's the lowest of the low.' Kirkorian, who filed a report with Fitchburg police, believes her EBT card was compromised by a skimming device at a local supermarket, the only store she uses her card. A representative of the store told Boston 25 News they are confident the crime did not occur there, as they have installed physical mechanisms on their card readers to prevent skimming and they use surveillance to monitor possible criminal activity. But DTA tells Boston 25 News cases of EBT skimming and phishing are soaring. Claims of SNAP benefits theft have surged from 2,697 in December to 5,968 in January – a 121-percent increase. Unfortunately for victims, the federal government is no longer replacing stolen benefits as of Dec. 20, 2024, after Congress failed to extend a deadline for reimbursement. Mass. Sen. Robyn Kennedy and Rep. Sally Kerans have filed bills to help victims recoup their stolen benefits. 'It's certainly a tragedy that people are actually stealing food literally from the mouths of babies, from children,' Kennedy said. 'What this legislation does is require the state of Massachusetts to be able to reimburse SNAP recipients for stolen benefits.' An estimated $1 million a month is needed for the state to cover the thousands of victims being ripped off. EBT cards must be swiped, making them more vulnerable to scams than cards with chip-tap technology. Massachusetts is currently under contract with a vendor that does not provide the chip-tap technology for EBT cards, but the state is working toward an upgrade. 'It's really disturbing when there's abuse of any government program. But abusing and stealing from people who depend on SNAP benefits to feed themselves, feed their children is truly abhorrent,' Kerans said. 'These people are now without grocery money. So, this legislation would replace those benefits at least until we get this chip technology. And I'm hoping that we'll get there sooner rather than later.' DTA urges SNAP recipients to utilize a new card-locking feature between purchases to prevent anyone else from accessing their account. The agency also recommends clients change their PIN frequently. Krikorian, who is fortunate to have the help of family and friends, worries that seniors who are not tech-savvy and those without the support of loved ones will go without food if they, too, are scammed. 'I depend on this money, along with a lot of other people. So, what are we supposed to do? What can we do? I just don't want it to happen to someone else,' Krikorian said. 'It just seems like we're second-class citizens, that this isn't being taken seriously enough, that our funds aren't being protected.' For a list of ways to secure your EBT card, visit: Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Stolen SNAP benefits are not guaranteed to be refunded in Massachusetts, tips to prevent theft
BOSTON (WWLP) – The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) is warning benefit recipients to increase the protection of their electronic benefits transfer (EBT) accounts. DTA says they've seen an increase in Massachusetts residents reporting benefits being stolen from their EBT accounts, mostly through skimming. Skimming is when an illegal device is placed on a card reader that allows thieves to electronically steal EBT account information when recipients swipe their card at checkout. State fix-eyed after stolen benefits protection ends The state assures that currently DTA/EBT systems are operational and have not been compromised. There is no guarantee that funds stolen after December 20, 2024, will be replaced as Congress failed to extend a deadline for reimbursement. Even though stolen SNAP benefits can no longer be reimbursed for thefts occurring after December 20, 2024, DTA clients should still report all stolen benefits in case additional funding becomes available at a later date. DTA offers these steps to help prevent benefits thefts: DTA launched a new EBT card locking feature that allows clients to control when their card is usable by locking and unlocking it through the free DTA Connect mobile app and web portal. Benefits cannot be stolen when an EBT card is locked. DTA clients are still encouraged to change their EBT card PIN frequently – at least once a month before their benefits are issued. Never provide your personal information, EBT card number, or Personal Identification Number (PIN) to unidentified callers, or to a link provided via text or email. If you get TAFDC or EAEDC, you can call your case manager to ask about having your benefits deposited to your bank account. DTA clients can find more information about how to protect their benefits, including videos and instructions on how to lock your EBT card in multiple languages,and steps to take if benefits have been compromised here: WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
