Opinion: Keep SNAP Theft Reimbursement in New York’s Final Budget – City Limits

“Across New York City, EBT theft has become a persistent and predictable crisis,” the authors write. “A reimbursement fund is the only immediate mechanism that makes people whole.”

New York’s state budget is now weeks past its April 1 deadline. As negotiations over competing priorities enter their final stage, smaller line items are often the easiest to overlook. One of them is a $3 million reimbursement program for SNAP and cash assistance recipients whose benefits are stolen, included in the State Senate’s one-house budget resolution but not yet guaranteed in the final deal. 

Across New York City, EBT theft has become a persistent and predictable crisis. Between August 2023 and March 2025, New York City’s Department of Social Services processed more than 142,000 SNAP reimbursement applications from victims of EBT theft and issued $43.7 million in replacement benefits. At Homecrest Community Services in Southern Brooklyn, we see the impact directly. A 72-year-old client came to our office after her SNAP benefits were drained overnight for the second time. “I feel scared,” she told us. “How come no one stops it?”

This is not a temporary surge. It reflects a larger structural problem. New York’s EBT cards still rely on outdated magnetic-stripe technology that allows scammers to steal benefits almost as soon as they are loaded. In the meantime, families are left to absorb the loss.

Digital tools like the ebtEDGE portal are often presented as safeguards, but in practice they are not sufficient. Many older adults struggle with small touchscreens, complex password requirements, and limited language access within the portal. These are the same groups who rely on SNAP most and are especially vulnerable to theft. Clients report being locked out of their accounts at the supermarket counter, unable to access benefits when they need them most. These tools cannot substitute for a basic guarantee that stolen benefits will be restored.

The state has already acknowledged the problem. Gov. Kathy Hochul has committed to upgrading EBT security by transitioning to more secure, chip-enabled cards, but rollout is not expected to begin until 2027. A reimbursement fund is the only immediate mechanism that makes people whole. 

At Homecrest, we have helped clients recover benefits when reimbursement was available, but others received nothing after the federal reimbursement program ended in December 2024. Without timely implementation that covers recent losses, many victims will still be left without recourse.

Each year, Albany leaders describe the state budget as a statement of values. This is one of those moments when that claim is tested. Gov. Hochul and legislative leaders should keep SNAP theft reimbursement in the final budget and implement it without delay.

Wai Yee Chan is president and CEO at Homecrest Community Services. Alice Mo is the policy and advocacy manager at Homecrest Community Services.