Food Stamps: Photo IDs Proposed To Better Protect SNAP Benefits — How It Would Prevent Fraud
Written by
Josephine Nesbit
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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Fraud involving food stamps has been an uncontrollable problem over the past year. State SNAP agencies and the federal government have stepped in to protect benefits and fight against scammers, but some claim the food assistance program doesn’t have enough safeguards in place. To help prevent fraud, West Virginia lawmakers are advancing a bill requiring photo IDs to be added to EBT cards to purchase food.
Sponsors say the bill is meant to fight fraud within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and would require states to issue new cards with photos to SNAP participants, WTRF reported. The bill passed one Senate committee and must be approved before heading to the full chamber.
“When one of these (programs) is scammed, both the recipient of the benefits is harmed and the taxpayer is harmed,” GOP Sen. Eric Tarr, a bill sponsor and Senate Finance Chair, said during the Senate committee meeting, per WTRF. According to legislative staff, a cost projection to issue new cards is still underway.
However, a state administrator warned that it lacks enforcement power, as it would violate the federal discrimination law. Jackie Hoppe, director of EBT Banking Services for the state, said the federal discrimination law prohibits retailers from denying purchases to a person who presents a valid card and knows the PIN. Additionally, states cannot delay or deny benefits if a SNAP participant does not want to be photographed.
Another problem is that all members of the SNAP household can use the recipient’s food stamp card to make purchases if they have the correct PIN. If the bill passes, the state would need to set new procedures to ensure everyone in the household has access to benefits.
The USDA issued a warning last year about skimming and phishing scams. The agency also offered the following tips:
- Keep your EBT card PIN secret: Don’t share your PIN with anyone outside of the household and cover the keypad when you enter your PIN on a machine.
- Change your PIN often: Change your PIN at least once per month before your benefit issuance date and avoid simple PINs.
- Check your EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges: If you see something, change your PIN immediately and report the activity to your local SNAP office.
As of June 2022, more than 317,000 of the state’s 1.8 million residents were enrolled in the program. If passed, the bill would go into effect in the summer of 2025.
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