Latest news with #OTDA
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Local food bank worries what ‘big, beautiful bill' could mean for SNAP recipients
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Thousands of Western New Yorkers are at risk of getting their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits reduced or taken away entirely if a bill introduced by President Donald Trump's administration passes in the Senate. House Republicans have already passed the piece of legislation, which is titled 'One Big, Beautiful Bill.' The bill would cut federal funding for SNAP by about $267 billion over a 10-year period. For the first time, individual states would be expected to make up that gap. The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) held a briefing Thursday morning, where it announced the total cost for New York State would be over $2 billion. The legislation also comes at a time when food insecurity is rising across the country. Local food banks, like FeedMore Western New York, thinks it could be a struggle to keep up. 'Over the last three years, we've seen a 46 percent increase,' said Collin Bishop, the chief communications officer at FeedMore WNY. 'We're already growing without any changes to SNAP'. Bishop said the number of people who are in need of nutritional assistance in our community continues to grow and that the proposed bill could make it worse. 'If we add to that, we're taking away people's ability to purchase food from the grocery store on their own,' Bishop said. 'That's just going to add more to this charitable organization.' ODTA said in Western New York, over 22,000 people are at risk of having reduced benefits or losing them completely. Republican leaders are working to pass the bill in the Senate. It would then go back to the House of Representatives to approve any changes before it ultimately reaches Trump's desk. Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Newsweek
18-06-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
New York State Facing Lawsuit Over SNAP Benefits
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. New York state is facing a federal lawsuit for failing to protect recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from benefit theft. Legal Services NYC filed the suit in June 2025, accusing the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) of negligence after at least $51 million in SNAP benefits were stolen through "skimming" schemes from 2023 to 2025. Newsweek contacted the OTDA for comment via email outside of regular working hours. Skimming involves placing illegal devices on cash registers or point-of-sale terminals to capture card data and PINs used by SNAP recipients. Criminals then use the information to create duplicate cards and steal benefits stored in accounts. Why It Matters SNAP, the nation's largest food assistance program, serves about 3 million New Yorkers. Widespread theft not only leaves recipients unable to buy food, but also increases burdens on local aid organizations. In the first quarter of 2025, there were more than 33,000 instances of stolen SNAP benefits in New York recorded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Since the second quarter of 2023, Empire State recipients have reported more than 150,000 benefit thefts. What To Know The lawsuit seeks a court order mandating the state to adopt safer card technology and compensate victims of SNAP fraud. Plaintiffs allege that the state has failed to upgrade from outdated magnetic strip SNAP cards to more secure chip-enabled cards, despite rising thefts and federal commitments to cover half of administrative upgrade costs. Legal Services NYC said this "has left tens of thousands of low-income residents exposed to repeated theft, food insecurity, and financial harm." Stock image of a person paying for groceries using a card. Stock image of a person paying for groceries using a card. GETTY The plaintiffs include vulnerable individuals such as Anna Gelman, a 90-year-old woman whose stolen SNAP benefits forced her to rely on food pantries and skip religious observances like Passover. As of early 2025, replacement funds for victims of skimming are unavailable following the expiration of a federal reimbursement program in December 2024. Lawmakers in the state have been making progress on introducing safer card technology for SNAP recipients. A bill, introduced by Democrat Jose M. Serrano, calls for EMV chips to become standard on Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, has passed the state Senate. What People Are Saying Marco Castillo, executive director of Red de Pueblos Trasnacionales, one of the plaintiff organizations in the lawsuit, said: "Skimming takes advantage of our most vulnerable New Yorkers. We see this impact every day when our community members are unable to feed their families. The solution is simple and cost-effective—New York state must follow suit by putting chips on all our EBT cards." Yiraldy Rodriguez, a Bronx resident and one of the plaintiffs in the case: "When my benefits were stolen, I felt completely helpless. I had no income at the time, and suddenly I had no way to feed my kids. I had to rely on my mom just to put food on the table. We were stretching meals, skipping meals, just trying to get by. It's terrifying knowing this can happen again if no changes are made to keep our EBT funds safe." An USDA spokesperson previously told Newsweek: "SNAP is a vital nutrition safety net for low-income Americans. When benefits are stolen, SNAP participants' ability to feed their families is threatened. USDA will continue to leverage every resource and authority that remains at its disposal to combat all forms of SNAP fraud and abuse." What Happens Next Legal action is proceeding in federal court. State officials have not presented a timeline for upgrading SNAP card technology, but advocacy groups continue to push for immediate reforms and restitution for those affected by benefit theft.
