The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources announced today, Wednesday, Feb. 17, that residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will now have an additional benefit to utilize. West Virginia locations of the grocery chain Food Lion are now accepting SNAP benefits as a form of payment for online purchases made through their website.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we are pleased to expand safe grocery shopping options for West Virginia’s EBT cardholders,” said Jacquelyn Hope, director of the DHHR’s Office of EBT Banking Services.
According to the DHHR website, “Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT, is a system through which recipients of certain government benefits receive and spend funds electronically, using a plastic EBT card like a bank debit card. Benefits are deposited electronically into the recipient’s program account. The recipient can then use his or her EBT card to make purchases, which are subtracted from the account.
West Virginia, along with other states, use EBT to disburse benefits from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s special programs, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) known as W.Va. WORKS and Child Support Incentive programs. Benefits for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) are on a separate EBT card currently.
Eligibility requirements and the amount of assistance received do not change under EBT. Once approved, an EBT account is opened in the client’s name, and SNAP and/or WV WORKS benefits are electronically deposited into the account. There are no fees when recipients use EBT cards for purchases, but fees may apply to cash withdrawals from ATMs or electronic balance inquiries.”
When determining eligibility for SNAP approval, household size and income are taken into account, and all residency requirements must be met.
Those wishing to learn more about SNAP, or to apply for the program, should visit dhhr.wv.gov/ebt/.
According to Allison Adler, Director of Communications for the W.Va. Department of Health and Human Resources, “Anyone who has been issued SNAP benefits on a Mountain State EBT card or the West Virginia P-EBT card has access to the online ordering option for West Virginia through Walmart, Amazon, Aldi and Food Lion.”
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.