"Why were my food stamps stopped?!"
That question can elicit panic in anyone
who relies on food stamps benefits to
feed their family.
After all, people with EBT are usually
acutely aware of when they should
receive their food stamps.
If the money doesn't show up on time it
can be very alarming!
I'm Nicole from LowIncomeRelief.com,
where we help millions of people save
money
and get free stuff! If you're wondering
"why were my food stamps stopped?!" don't
worry. It turns out there are several common
reasons why your food stamps may not
arrive when you expect them.
We've found four reasons why your food
stamps or EBT cash benefits may not have
arrived when you expected them.
First, the schedule may have been
adjusted.
Although many states send their benefits
payments on the first of each month,
other states do things differently. Some
states determine their schedules based
on your birthday, last name, case number, application date,
social security number or another factor.
We have a current schedule for all 50
states on our website at LowIncomeRelief.com. There's a direct
link in the description of this video
for your convenience.
Weekends and holidays can also mess up
the schedule.
If your payments were due to be sent out
on a Sunday, they will often be dispersed
the following Monday. Holidays can also affect the
distribution schedule.
Second, you may have missed a
re-certification deadline.
Every few months, you will need to
re-certify or resubmit paperwork to
prove that you are still eligible for
benefits.
If you miss a deadline for paperwork or
a phone interview,
your benefits may stop suddenly. The
re-certification period varies depending
on your circumstances. The length of time is usually every 6 to
12 months. Some people may have to re-certify more
frequently. With the ESAP program, seniors and
disabled adults may only need to
re-certify once every two years.
You can find more about ESAP in the
description below as well.
It's important to always check your mail
and open anything you receive from the
food stamps office. This will help you ensure that you do
not miss any deadlines. If the answer to "why were my food stamps
stopped?!" is that you missed a deadline,
you will need to contact your local
agency as soon as possible
in order to complete your
re-certification. Usually,
if you complete it within 30 days of the
date it was due, your case may be
reopened with minimal difficulty.
Third, you haven't used your benefits in
a while.
Although it is much less common,
sometimes benefits will be stopped
because someone has not used their card
in a long time
(usually an entire year) or the card has
accrued an unusually high balance.
You will receive a letter from the
agency before your benefits are stopped
for this reason, however.
Lastly, your account may have been closed.
In some cases, your account may have been closed unexpectedly.
This may happen if you fail to comply
with terms of the program
(such as a work requirement) or if you are
suspected of fraud.
If this happens, you should receive a
letter in the mail notifying you about
the closure. Hopefully this video answers your
question about "why were my food stamps stopped?!"
If you still have other food stamps
related questions, please let us know in
the comments and we'd be happy to answer
them for you.
Thanks for watching our video! Be sure to
like and subscribe because we'll be back
soon with more ways that you can save
money
and get free stuff! Hey, while you're here,
did you know that you can get over 450
freebies and deals just by having a food
stamps card?!
We've got all of the information at LowIncomeRelief.com/EBT
Stop by and check out our resource
list!
